It is that time again:-)
The annual trickle of queen ants tromping across our carpeted dining room to the West facing window has grown to an invasion leading to a management conflict.
The strips of masking tape blocking off the usual routes have been by-passed as the scouts have dug/discovered a convenient corridor between the skirting and the carpet gripper.
Repetitive clearings with the vacuum cleaner identified the likely source and the reluctant decision to lift the carpet and take off a section of skirting was made. 6" MDF secured with 3" hard nails!
Rolling back the carpet revealed a settlement crack in the floor screed although the ants were appearing from a gap between screed and wall plaster.
The crack and gap were opened out and filled with *one coat* plaster as the only filler to hand. In retrospect I am wondering if ant jaws are capable of quarrying this in time for next year.
The other concern is that the access point is at least 2m from the nearest outside wall. Floor screed over 50mm polystyrene insulation may provide a comfortable home:-(