Honey, the ants are eating the sealant again!

Okay so I didn't quite manage to get back to blogging over the Easter holidays despite the fact that I do have lots of little stories and nice photos I'd like to share with you all. No, I spent most of the time researching laptops which are called notebooks these days. I don't like that term because it makes me think of something containing paper which you would write on with a pen and that's not really what I'm looking for. Anyway that's a whole other topic and for all you geeks out there I will blog about it someday and soon.

What prompted me to write today is the recent discovery that the ants in my bathroom like to eat the shower sealant. I noticed this a few weeks back when a good crowd of them had gathered on the edge of the shower screen. I was wondering what could be intriguing them so much so I leaned in to take a closer look. Imagine my astonishment when I realised that they were eating the sealant between the glass and the metal frame. Suspecting this could not be a good thing for the future of the shower screen, not to mention the health and safety aspects of the bathroom, I gave the ants a quick warning by splashing them with water which they don't like because apparently they can't swim, blowing on them and yelling "Run away ants. Go home because I'm about to take you out. This is your final warning". Most of them heeded my warning and those that were left got wiped up. I figured I was doing the colony a favour by removing the stupid ants from the gene pool.

This morning they were back again but on the other side of the shower screen and this time they were really going for it. They were so into it they didn't budge when I splashed them. What is it about the shower sealant? It doesn't look that yummy to me. I have come to the conclusion that I live with a bunch of crazy, starving ants. Does anyone have any idea why the ants would eat the sealant, whether this is bad for the shower screen or really won't make that much difference, and what I can do to stop them (if deemed necessary)?

At least I don't have the problems some Bangladeshis have been discussing on the ICT Bangladesh Yahoo! Group (according to APC magazine). Apparently they are quite adept at preventing "Mr Ant" from getting inside their laptops notebooks and eating their circuit boards and wires. Tips include, creating a moat around your laptop (I'm sorry but I'm really struggling with this "notebook" thing) because ants can't swim, keeping food away from it, moving to Saudi Arabia which apparently has no ants (a bit drastic but could work) and drawing a chalk line around the outside of the machine (but not inside the machine which would not be good). Apparently this works best for cockroaches (what?!). Personally it brings to mind crime scenes involving dead laptops. By far the best quote is the following:

"Go to the residence of Mr Ant. Say good-bye by destroying his colony"

Wise words indeed.

As one who is soon to be purchasing a laptop and lives with a crazy bunch of sealant-eating bathroom ants, I'm a little worried. I shall be purchasing a Naphthalene ball which I shall place inside my notebook so that "insect will hate [my] notebook and [I] will be charmed with sweet smell."