Will it be a plague of locusts next, I ask?

Over recent weeks, we have had numerous tiny insects appearing in the kitchen. I have found them in the pantry and had to throw out quite a few opened packets that they had crept their sneaky way into - even though I generally firmly fold down the tops of packets, folding is no defence against these little blighters! Frankly, I have no idea what they are - I have taken everything out of the bottom three shelves and swabbed them down, only to find more of the little buggers have hatched or awoken from hibernation, dammit! Where I find them in swarms now - well, at least 6 of them over the course of a day - is making their way across the kitchen floor. No idea where they are heading for, but when I see them, I pick them up and put them in the kitchen sink with the tap running: that'll teach them! They can go for a long dark swim!

Last photo opportunity before the long swim ... This beast is about 1.5 to 2mm long, taller than it is wide. I looked them up and I am fairly sure they are drugstore beetles: bloody typical that it's a beetle with an American name.

And then yesterday, we were inundated with bloody ants again! My bad, because I accidentally didn't put the lid of the golden syrup jar on properly - I'd brought in the jar from the motorhome and used it, replaced the lid but not tightly, and hey presto ants could be heard screaming "Don't jump in, Charlie, Angie, Peter, Dwight, Archie - it's quick syrup!! Feed from the lid only! Go back and tell the team to stay away from the edge! Hurry!!"

Anyway, they were everywhere. They are quite amazing really, as one day there's none and all of a sudden there are thousands of them marching marching marching.

Fortunately a week or so ago, Wendy bought some ant bait for us - she rang Kevin while he was meeting at our place with Sarah and me - pre-lockdown, I hasten to add. - so she got ant bait for us too as a precautionary measure.

It is now placed along their route in/out, and they are carrying it back to the nest/s. I replaced the baits this morning and yesterday morning and they are voraciously munching and marching again! When I did a speed test this morning, my micrometer indicated they are marching more slowly... 😆😏😜😉 But then during the day they sped up again!

At the bottom of the pantry. Bait is on a bit of cardboard and they are into it.

And making their way to and from the pantry

You can see them crossing the carpet edging ...

 

Behind the fridge and up the cupboard wall to the tiny gap below the bench (some of them), and along the bench to behind the microwave and around the corner to the windowsill and out between it and the bench (the rest of them) ...

 One bonus - I think the ant-bait is attracting and killing the other insects! Yay!!!