Stories of a Disconnected Life, by Alanna Vitucci
When we decided to live off the grid, we make a pact to try to live as environmentally consciously as possible. And, for the most part, we have. We recycle glass, paper and metal – except when the exhaustion of a toddler turns our brains to mush and we forget.
But I am faced with a dilemma. Ants, really big ugly black ants, have decided that the land right outside our back porch is perfect, and moved in. Now in addition to being environmentally friendly, there is the added concern that we draw water from our own well. Therefore, if we eradicate them with chemicals it could pollute the ground water, and we would have no drinking water. Aside from an inconvenience, this could be a really big problem if we were to ever sell this house.
But the ants are huge! And getting stung by one really hurts. I can handle it with a bit of grousing, but it would be more dangerous to our 14 month-old daughter. What if they got inside and swarmed – do ants swarm in the baby’s room during the night? In fact, there was a case in west Phoenix where a baby was attacked in her crib by fire ants and died from the hundreds of stings.
After numerous moral and ethical conversations, we decided to call in the Orkin man. Especially since our cocktail of vinegar, Cajun powder and anything else nasty sounding in the pantry didn’t convince them to move on.
Once they arrived we were careful to explain our concerns and they shared that the chemicals break down very quickly and were not a threat. Grateful, we wrote the check and sent him out to do the deed.
I have to say that several weeks later there is still no sign of the ants and, well, I can just sleep better at night.
Note, there are several environmentally friendly pest control options, but when you live on five acres in the middle of the desert surrounded by forest you really need the heavy guns! It’s like living in the world’s largest bug light.
Alanna Vitucci is the President of Cactus Blossom Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm located in Ft. McDowell, Arizona. For additional information or to request a project quote, please log onto elance.com and search for CactusBlossomCom under the provider list. Or, contact her directly at 602.418.9068 / cactusblossomcom@direcway.com.
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