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They’re On Their Own Time
What about us humans? Can we push the intruders back when they come streaming into our territory--namely, our houses?

First, said Gordon, we have to understand what’s going on. They don’t come looking for food--though if we leave crumbs and food scraps on our kitchen counters, they won’t ignore them. Instead, in the winter (December through March) they come in looking for a warm, dry place--shelter from the rain and cold; and in summer (July and August) they come in looking for water.

In 2001, Gordon conducted an 18-month survey of 69 households around the Bay Area asking about ant infestations, and she learned something surprising: they came into people’s houses at precisely the same time, and they left at the same time, regardless of what measures people took to keep them out. “That means that putting out pesticides--well, you might as well pour them directly into the Bay. It really does no good against the ants. They come in when they’re ready, and they leave when they’re ready.”

Nevertheless, we do want to think we have control, don’t we--even if it’s an illusion? And so we take action. Some of the measures that people resort to, however, are downright toxic, such as malathion. Gordon mentioned a so-called chalk powder that is sold in Asian flea markets, “and it’s sold there only because it’s illegal--it’s such a potent carcinogen that it’s actually been banned by the EPA. It not only kills ants, but it’s not good for people or pets or anything else.”

There are more environmentally friendly, healthful actions that can be called into play. Plugging up holes in walls with petroleum jelly or poster putty is an option. “People use clove oil or lemon oil,” Gordon said; “or I use Windex: anything that’s strong-smelling. If you wipe down the place where they’re putting down a chemical trail, you can stop them for a while.” Until they find another way in.

Or until they decide it’s time to leave on their own. Because that’s the good news: “They would really rather be outside,” in their own nests, doing what Argentine ants do so well: foraging food out from under the noses of the native ants, trying to survive.

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