I hate..ok...I dislike..roaches

Something about roaches freaks me out. Years ago when I lived in an apartment building in Brooklyn I had brief mouse issue....even caught one on my birthday..nice gift huh? But they didn't creep me out as much as roaches do....And I am happy to say I still, after 3 months, DON'T HAVE roaches at my new place...... :)

See I thought I was cute....I got a co-op in a 'garden-style' complex...meaning none of the units are higher than 2 floors...very few direct neighbors, which means less bugs!! or so my naive mind thought...

A while ago, I blogged about my new roommates, the bathroom ants. They have since been attacked worse than any "enemy" of the great U.S. of A.....and have since found other residence....

But you know that can't be the end of my story, right???

One bright, sunny Saturday morning, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I went into the kitchen.....to be met by a crew of insects...and when I saw CREW.....it disgusts me to say it, but about 40 of em suckas....all over the floor, the window, the windowsill......armed with my can of Raid and anti-bacterial Lysol wipes, I killed every last sucker, and scrubbed the kitchen from head to toe with every cleaner imaginable....had to open the windows cause I was getting a little high from the fumes!

So I immediately called the expert - MOM. who said call the maintenance office. My pal Ray, told me from my description, they sounded like ants (never knew ants could have wings) and to have the exterminator come. He was not alarmed in the least bit, and calmed me saying they are common......

*now, keep in mind, my other blog, about my horrible floor that caused me to install a brand new, still being paid for, hardwood floor....*

I saw a smaller crew of the same "ants" a couple weeks later, and said to myself NAH.....Mom asked me if I saved any....umm NO!! they have all been given their official burial in a beautiful green dumpster outside....she told me go on the internet and see if I could find the exact thing I was seeing, since she couldn't tell from my panicked description....

The Internet is an amazing thing, so helpful! With very little effort I found exactly what I've been seeing, and forwarded the link to her....low and behold, they are not ants, BIG SUPRISE.....they are....TERMITES!!!!!!!!!!!

So here's some things I learned! Crews of termites are called swarmers. They aren't the actual ones that EAT YOUR WOOD....they are like the guys who stand on the corner, just trying to find a good spot to hang out, while people around them are hard at work...they are also very stupid, and can't survive in bright sunlight, yet they are drawn to it. which is why you'll often see them by a window, on a sunny day......So, they are actually a good thing to see, cause it lets you know that their buddies are planning on coming for lunch...

I'm now waiting for the termite experts to come, inspect my place, and the structure below, to see how much if any damage has been done....I have a great urge to murder the real estate agent/brother of the owner, who I'm sure had SOME idea as to what was going on....and my lawyer who said I didn't need to hire an inspector outside of the one I paid for with the bank.....BUT, instead, I'm tryin to look at the bright side.....at least I don't have roaches! *sigh*