When you live in a tropical country you can expect your share of creepie crawlies and it may take a while to become accustomed. You learn how to deal with them and how to avoid them.
However, there will be one or possibly two that you feel like you have a constant battle with. With me, currently it is ants. I have had a history of battling with ants in a few countries. They destroyed my lawn in Dubai with their digging. At one point, I put the hose on the lawn to chase a few ants away and huge sections collapsed. We ended up paving over the lawn in the constant battle of ant versus human.
In Aruba they took over the paved garden and would try to set up home in anything that we laid down. The day I picked up a dog blanket to reveal a nest of ants witnessed louds screams, cursing and boiling water.
Our current house in St Lucia seems to have an ant problem which is slowly driving me crazy. They come from different angles and just when I think I have won and made our house an ant free zone they attack from another area.
My housekeeper tells me tales of the previous tenants leaving dirty plates and cooking equipment out for a while that attracted ants and it seems this might be the source of the problem. However, I keep my kitchen as clean as a surgeon’s operating table. Why are the ants still coming in?
Before you wonder why I have not dropped a chemical bomb on the house, I have animals and am vigilant about any potential harmful poison. I tried the natural oils route to no avail. So, it’s now a battle of attacking them with a cleaner when I see them approach.
It seems that there are many varieties of ants too. I spend so much time in battle with them I am now on their Christmas card list. There are tiny black ones, ones that almost look like clear spiders and a chunky variety that seem to be the search and report back to base type.
My biggest peeve is that I make a living as a food blogger. Making food videos and food photography is essential for me. Every time, and I mean EVERY time I set up a food video or shoot, ants will suddenly appear! There are probably a few food recipe videos of mine out there with an ant in a non-speaking role strolling across my set. Luckily I edit all the swearing out.
The ants in the tropics will appear from anywhere too. It’s a constant assault which may break the tired and weary. I’ve seen them swarm out of electrical plug sockets and cracks out of tiles I didn’t know was possible.
Most people in the islands will have a creepy crawly story. One of our friends who was travelling the Caribbean was in Jamaica, packed up his suitcase and popped in a couple of the hotel pillow chocolates. When he arrived at his next island, he opened his suitcase and ants swarmed out. After listening to this tale, screaming and drinking a large rum I could finally relax and sleep. How he still sleeps at night is still a mystery to me.
If anyone has a good natural suggestion to get rid of the ants, please let me know. Until then, I am cleaning my kitchen area with such rigour that hospital cleaning staff are trying to recruit me.
Gail says
Hi – Have you tried marking a line around doors, windows or other places where they might come in with a piece of chalk? Apparently, ants won’t cross a chalk line. Sounds weird but worth a try? Really enjoy your recipes – haven’t noticed any ants in your photographs!
Angela Coleby says
Oooh, that’s a good tip! Thanks!
Andy says
When working at a dive school one morning we were going to a dive site. One of the instructors had put on how wetsuit, he yelled and jumped directly from the moving boat into the water. It seemed a nest of fire ants had made a start of a nest in his wet suit. Poor guy was in agony 🙁
Liana says
Oh gosh that’s an entertaining article yet quite disturbing! After 9 months in Panama, we left for the simple fact of Jurassic size bugs of all kinds creating an inhospitable environment. After almost ten years in Cuenca, Ecuador, where there is an annual sighting of a scorpion or two and slightly more frequently, a large spider, we are strongly considering Grenada WI be the backdrop of our next chapter. Centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes abound, I’m told. The former sometimes a foot long, I’m warned. I hope we can manage there better than we did before; the islands call to hubby and me so intensely lately. (He grew up there-I’m the newbie). Any words of advice/caution/encouragement? (Ps. Got your link from keto pages, we’re on month 3 and LOVing it!!)
Angela Coleby says
I need to lay down in a darkened room with a large rum punch now at your tales of large creepy crawlies!
Fred Ermlich says
I live near Las Tablas, Los Santos, Panama. As a scientist I’m fascinated by the bugs. There’s a millipede species that I see at times that can disappear into invisible cracks in the sidewalks.
Ants and wasps are ubiquitous.
Right now I’m looking at ants right next to my bed, which is a box spring covered with a sheet on the floor. There’s a small dead cricket on the floor by my head, and I have nothing but contempt for these insects. The floor tiles are too slippery for crickets so they helplessly founder until I tap them with a sandal and let them die.
So I’m looking at a dead cricket right now, and its corpse is being swarmed by ants so tiny I had to put on my reading glasses to see them. In writers terms, these are about 10-point ants. This is all happening right by my head. These guys, I don’t care if they bite me, because it wouldn’t amount to anything.
Now the leafcutter ants are interesting. They raid my garden, of leaves, and carry them kilometers until they disappear into the cow pastures. One time, one time only, I planted my foot in the path of a leaf-cutter, and he (she?) bit my ankle hard!
But there was no venom like most ants have here. It hurt for a few minutes–the ant went on its way–and then… nothing. Other ants . . . they can really mess you up, and I keep buying steroid creams to stop the itching and pain. Sure, it makes me more macho, but at least I’m not suicidal from these insect attacks.
I won’t even tell you about wasps. Sure, they hurt bad, but mostly they’re all right if you ignore them. Scorpions scare the crap out of me, but the pain of a sting does go away by itself. (They’re big MFs here!)
Angela Coleby says
Wow! I came across a tarantula this week, so there’s more joy to the tropics! A small price to pay at times though…
Kristen says
Any updates on the ant battle? We just moved into a house in Puerto Rico and I’m looking for suggestions!
Fred Ermlich says
Move to Antarctica. Otherwise, in P.R. you gotta use poisons. Daily.
Angela Coleby says
LOL!
Alyss says
I am currently living in St Lucia and have the same ant infestation! Hence how I stumbled on your page tonight! I was just attacked by a huge ant the either bit or stung me, I’m not sure which. Then, I look around and my whole bedroom and bathroom had been taken over by them. Typically, it’s the small ants, but theses are huge black ones! I’m assuming it’s due to the rain we have been having? I have tried everything to get rid of them, but like you have animals and don’t want to bomb this place with chemicals and poisons. Best of luck!
Cathy says
I live in St. Kitts-Nevis, on the smaller island of Nevis. We definitely have our ant issues, fortunately, not so much in the house, although, with everything being outdoor restaurants and bars, you see them crawling around tables in the finest places. They didn’t used to have them so much, but Four Seasons brought in a lot of nono’s unfortunately when they opened. One of the worst issues is that the ants farm the things we try to grow and make it almost impossible to grow anything. Then if we are successful, the wild monkeys go after anything that is not green! We have the other creepy crawlies also. Tarantula’s aka donkey spiders, centipedes and scorpions. Fortunately, I have only seen one centipede in 13 years, no scorpions, and really among the worst for me, few tarantula’s! I have a spider phobia, and if bit, usually end up on antibiotics, sooo……Happy island living!
Angela Coleby says
I am now in a darkened room, rocking myself to soothing tones at donkey spiders…