The battlefront in my war against the ants has shifted slightly. If you’ve been following this saga, the ants were firmly entrenched underneath bathroom sink, in the sink cabinet. After much hard work and strife, I sealed them out of the cabinet. They then were using the outside of the cabinet, which I then also sealed off.
The ants then moved to the threshold between my bathroom and my bedroom. The current front is now the doorjamb, the floor moulding, and the gap between my floor planks and where my closet starts.
In the photo above, you can see basically where all the ants are currently coming and going from. The metal track is where my closet door slides along. All that dried foam is from where I sealed off large gaps where the ants are going under the flooring and the moulding. I’ve never used sealing foam before and it’s very difficult to apply accurately. More is better than less, however, because once it cures and hardens, you can use a utility knife to cut it down to size. I haven’t done that yet.
You’ll also notice the silicone sealant along the rest of the moulding. Yes, the bead I applied is messy and inconsistent but that’s not my concern right now. My primary concern is ensure my latest efforts prevent the ants from entering my apartment.
Whenever I seal off a new area, it always takes a few days to assess if my efforts have worked. I’ve realized that just because I see no ants a few hours or even the next day, it doesn’t mean they can’t come in any more. It could be they’re just not interested in coming into my apartment for whatever reason. Remember, I’ve seen no ants for nearly two weeks in some instances, only to see them again. Who knows where they were or what prompted to return again.
What’s interesting is extrapolating where this is all going. The ants seem to be moving their points of ingress further into my bedroom and away from the bathroom. How far into my bedroom will this go? I hope they just give up at some point.