Last week I woke up early, with plans to make a cup of
tea and enjoy a quiet morning where I didn’t have to rush off to school first
thing. Malawi
had other plans for me though. The linthumbu, the army ants, were back. They
had a trail near my bafa (outdoor bathing area) and garden. So fires were made
at key locations where they were coming out of the ground, and I put poison
around the perimeter of my house where I remembered seeing them last time, and
I sprayed much Doom bug spray in my bedroom, kitchen and guest room where they
had invaded last time. And I prayed. And texted Colii, of course.
All that day I kept checking for more signs of them, but the
coast was clear… until that evening. Which seems to be their way. They like to
go on the move at night. I set this fire in my garden over several of their
holes. And then had to set a few more. My poor garden is really taking a hit from these things.
The problem with army ants is that they can tunnel under the
ground, so you chase them away in one place and they just make a new tunnel and
come up somewhere else. Here is a photo
of one of their tunnel entrances in my yard. I still have these all over my
yard from the last invasion, and everytime I see them they give me the shivers.
They ended up coming back the next day, making a thick trail along my gate in my garden and into the grass near my fence. I set more fires, put out more poison, and prayed for the best. It has been over a week now, and I haven't seen them back yet. I inspected my garden and I saw three different kinds of ants hanging out there, which is a
good sign. They would not be there if the linthumbu were anywhere nearby.
So here's hoping that will be my last brush with the red driver ants of Malawi. I've still got my can of Doom next to my bed though, just in case.
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