waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
Oh bloody hell, am calling the landlady!!!!!
Water, red marks, little bugs
- Thread starter waverunner
- Start date
Oh bloody hell, am calling the landlady!!!!!
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
waverunner said:
Why are they there? To eat your food and to enjoy the warmth of your flat. And to breed. Where did they come from? Their nest. They are 'soldiers' - food gatherers - you see. They come from their 'Queen'.
If you want to see more pour a small pile of sugar onto the floor of your kitchen and drop a little boiling water to make a sugar solution. Wait. There will soon be lots and your kitchen will never be free of them.
What can you do? They are not easy to get rid of and they multiply quickly. You will see them near water and food. They spread disease. The nest (or nests) will not be easily located. Seal your food in air tight containers. Clean meticulously. Move out.
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
Thanks again, I just found a bigger one, sort of like a regular ant so not sure what that means. It's dead now. Called the landlady asked her to get someone in to take a look and confirm if these are pharaoh ants or not and, as i expected, she said she'll go to the hardware store and buy some spray. I told her that these are potentially disease carrying creatures. She said she would buy some spray. I told her I'm not happy putting my health at risk and she said she'd buy some spray. I asked again to get someone in. She said if the spray didn't work she'd get someone to come in.
I'm calling the estate agent tomorrow to lodge a formal report of the whole matter.
I wish I could move out Groucho, but even if I can get out of the contract to which I am bound based on health risks I doubt I have the energy to do so. The idea alone of having to look for a place, pack up, hire the moving people, move, unpack, resettle, all over again has made me burst into tears (am not blaming you am just saying). Everything is so wrong right now I'm very much reaching the end of my tether and now I've got fucking potentially disease ridden ants crawling round my flat and I can't even see them anywhere other than my bathroom cos they're so fucking small
I couldn't see any in my kitchen though and I looked real hard. Would've thought if they're here to feed that's where they'd be rather than my sink and my toilet. Or perhaps they are there and just blend in better so I can't see them. Oh FFS
I'm calling the estate agent tomorrow to lodge a formal report of the whole matter.
I wish I could move out Groucho, but even if I can get out of the contract to which I am bound based on health risks I doubt I have the energy to do so. The idea alone of having to look for a place, pack up, hire the moving people, move, unpack, resettle, all over again has made me burst into tears (am not blaming you am just saying). Everything is so wrong right now I'm very much reaching the end of my tether and now I've got fucking potentially disease ridden ants crawling round my flat and I can't even see them anywhere other than my bathroom cos they're so fucking small
I couldn't see any in my kitchen though and I looked real hard. Would've thought if they're here to feed that's where they'd be rather than my sink and my toilet. Or perhaps they are there and just blend in better so I can't see them. Oh FFS
http://www.answers.com/topic/serratia-marcescens here check it out
Its the pink stuff
Due to its ubiquitous presence in the environment, and its preference for damp conditions, S. marcesens is commonly found growing in bathrooms (especially on tile grout), where it manifests as a pink discoloration. Once established, complete eradication of the organism is often difficult, but can be accomplished by application of a bleach-based disinfectant.
Its the pink stuff
Due to its ubiquitous presence in the environment, and its preference for damp conditions, S. marcesens is commonly found growing in bathrooms (especially on tile grout), where it manifests as a pink discoloration. Once established, complete eradication of the organism is often difficult, but can be accomplished by application of a bleach-based disinfectant.
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
Will be buying big vat of bleach shortly and killing my whole bathroomRohen said:
E2A: Mine's not pink it's orangey red. And it comes off with some hard scrubbing. And it's not inbetween tiles or anything, it's just exactly where the water flows most/strongest.
Callie
Pivoting
Rohen said:
I did wonder but just assumed there was a similar sounding environmental bacteria. I sometimes find Serratia sp. in wound infections at work but that is in (mainly) immunocompromised patients. It can cause infections but I very much doubt it would cause a problem health wise for wavey 
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
It's ok waverunner.. put down the spray, if the situation exacerbates force the landlady to take further action. If the ants haven't spread as of yet, they might stay put for a while.
It's all good
It's all good
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
ChrisFilter said:It's ok waverunner.. put down the spray, if the situation exacerbates force the landlady to take further action. If the ants haven't spread as of yet, they might stay put for a while.
It's all good
I'm over-reacting aren't I? It's just the last thing I need right now is thousands of diseasey ants forcing me to move.
Watch wavey crumble
Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. If your flat was infested I reckon you would see a lot more of them.
It may be that there are Pharaoh ants in your block, but not in your flat. They are often found in bathrooms cos they also need water, plus their nests are near the warm pipes.
Like all ants nests they send out search parties for food. If they find some they 'tell' the nest and off they all go in a long line to gather food. If they are not in your kitchen you can probably keep it that way by not leaving food out. The flat in the block where the hot water is always on and the heating up high wll be their fave.
The odd one in your bathroom is nothing to get too worried about. The spray may well be enough to stem the incursions into your space. It sounds like your red stuff is easily got rid of too.
It may be that there are Pharaoh ants in your block, but not in your flat. They are often found in bathrooms cos they also need water, plus their nests are near the warm pipes.
Like all ants nests they send out search parties for food. If they find some they 'tell' the nest and off they all go in a long line to gather food. If they are not in your kitchen you can probably keep it that way by not leaving food out. The flat in the block where the hot water is always on and the heating up high wll be their fave.
The odd one in your bathroom is nothing to get too worried about. The spray may well be enough to stem the incursions into your space. It sounds like your red stuff is easily got rid of too.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
waverunner said:
It's just the last thing I need right now is thousands of diseasey ants forcing me to move.
Watch wavey crumble
Nah, you're not over-reacting.. straw that broke the camels back innit. Sit back, have nice cup of something, or a fag, or something.. and switch your brain off for a bit.. like I said, it's all good champ
Poot
My wife thinks I work too hard
waverunner said:Is it literally called 'mould and mildew remover'? Where do I get it from? What's the difference between that and bleach? Sorry, so many questions, I'm quite clueless about, well, everything
Dettol mould and mildew remover. It might get rid of... well, everything. Or some of it, anyway. Worth a punt, no?
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
Poot said:
Will definitely be giving that a shot Shopping list:
Domestos bleach
Dettol mould and mildew remover
Goggles (cos I really am crap and likely to get all this shit in my eyes)
Household gloves (just tore a hole in my current pair)
Sedatives
Strumpet
gypsy girl
Wavey!
I don't know about other ant-y crawlies, but, normal ants cannot stand CINNAMON. Try it after you've bleached etc.? Sprinkle it where you think they are coming in....if they are anything like their relatives they won't come near the place!
No crumbling aloowed btw. Maybe just a little....then deep breath and onwards.
I don't know about other ant-y crawlies, but, normal ants cannot stand CINNAMON. Try it after you've bleached etc.? Sprinkle it where you think they are coming in....if they are anything like their relatives they won't come near the place!
No crumbling aloowed btw. Maybe just a little....then deep breath and onwards.
Must feel worse cos unexpected in quite a new place, but you haven't found many of them on the bright side.
Natural to feel a bit about the whole thing. As others have said waverunner, don't worry too much, you'll get it sorted
Sorry if I posted up too much info and made it worse
Natural to feel a bit
about the whole thing. As others have said waverunner, don't worry too much, you'll get it sorted Sorry if I posted up too much info and made it worse
wtfftw
roof's about to blow ♩♪♩♬ ♬♩♪♩
don't worry about the orangey mould stuff! I would've said earlier but got the impression it was more of a rust.
my bathroom was covered in the stuff (grouting, taps etc) and you just give it a scrub with normal cleaner. Using the extractor fan should keep it at bay. I think hard water areas are worse for it. We also get stubborn limescale.
My own weird manifestation story...
I've got little green plants growing off the window putty. For some reason I thought it was related to the stubborn plant that refuses not to grow between the wall and floor (there's no gap honest!) in two diff rooms. I consulted the landlord and it turns out not to be related I just need to get the bleach out.
my bathroom was covered in the stuff (grouting, taps etc) and you just give it a scrub with normal cleaner. Using the extractor fan should keep it at bay. I think hard water areas are worse for it. We also get stubborn limescale.
My own weird manifestation story...
I've got little green plants growing off the window putty. For some reason I thought it was related to the stubborn plant that refuses not to grow between the wall and floor (there's no gap honest!) in two diff rooms. I consulted the landlord and it turns out not to be related I just need to get the bleach out.
EastEnder
Brixton Barnacle
Sounds good.waverunner said:
Shopping list:
Domestos bleach
Dettol mould and mildew remover
Goggles (cos I really am crap and likely to get all this shit in my eyes)
Household gloves (just tore a hole in my current pair)
Sedatives
While you're at, could you pop round and give my bathroom the once over, it could do with a good clean.
Keep this up and some day you'll make someone a fine wife.
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
Nah Derian you didn't make it worse I did ask for information/suggestions after all! Strumpet, I haven't crumbled am still standing - sort of, though I'd prefer to be in bed!
And EastEnder. *sigh*. Me? Good wife? What have you been drinking?
Oh, and, er, clean your own bathroom please.
I did ask for information/suggestions after all! Strumpet, I haven't crumbled am still standing - sort of, though I'd prefer to be in bed! And EastEnder. *sigh*. Me? Good wife? What have you been drinking?
Oh, and, er, clean your own bathroom please.
waverunner
Be nice or I'll bite
You've got to be kidding me! Ah well looks like I'm goin to end up a spinster. Or just a very bad wife 
