Don’t read this at bedtime
Friday October 19th 2018, 9:35 pm
Filed under: Garden,Mango tree

The little sugar ants love the sweet-selling mango blossoms. Individually, they’re kind of their size. It’s a toss-up whether trying to pick them off damages more of the fragile things than they do–but sprinkle some cinnamon on them and they fall right out of the tree.

Which has cut down on their numbers, but still, just about every day right now I’m out there taking care of a few more. Get the scouts to keep the hordes from ascending.

There were floral clusters in nine places now, the biggest at the top where there’s the most sun, smaller and newer ones below. I checked those out to be sure.

And had an impulse, as I walked back in the door, to check my hair to make sure I hadn’t picked one of those up while looking through the branches. Yeah, no, I’ve checked before and there never is–quit being bug-phobic.

A few minutes later Richard had no idea what I was shrieking about but he did what I said and instantly went running and came back with a fistful of eye drops. I couldn’t see. There was this left arm over my face and I wasn’t about to move it.

Just one? Take the lid off for me? I was desperate.

Then, You want another?

Please yes.

It had fallen out of my hair onto my eyelashes and tumbled straight into… I’d suddenly had an ant walking across my eyeball. When I instantly closed my eye it was literally six feet, under.

(This got me to go look it up: ants have not just stickiness but claws at the end of each of their legs. Oh joy.)

I promise you next time I will check my hair. Promise.


4 Comments so far
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Giiiirrrrl…trust your gut! Hope those minuscule claws didn’t do damage!

Comment by Jayleen Hatmaker 10.20.18 @ 9:01 am

Have you tried sticky Tanglefoot on the trunk to keep the ants from continuing up?

Comment by Maria 10.20.18 @ 9:41 am

To Maria, because your email bounced. My answer was, Sort of. I put paper around the trunk and then twisted packaging tape on top of it to try (without directly taping the tree). It helped, for awhile.

Comment by AlisonH 10.20.18 @ 10:22 am

I will be trying very hard NOT to think about this! I’m glad you’re all right, but ew.

Comment by ccr in MA 10.21.18 @ 8:21 am



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