Ants in my pants, amongst other places
For today's groan, we transition from electronics to the natural world.
Last night I took my shower and dried off using a towel that had been hanging on the bathroom rack. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until a minute or so after I finished drying and had put my undershorts on, when I began to feel irritating sensations all over my body. Upon closer inspection, I found that my skin was crawling with tiny red ants, a kind that bites or stings. I checked the towel and found it to be the source - hundreds were congregating in spots and they appeared to be eating something.
I made a quick dash to another room to grab a fresh towel and then proceeded to rinse the little buggers from my personage. By this time I was beginning to feel a burning sensation in my groin, back and legs. Welts started appearing in many places and they itched like big mosquito bites. I took some allergy medicine in the hopes that the antihistamine would quiet things down enough to be able to sleep, and that seems to have helped. When I awoke this morning the welts and itching sensation were gone.
We get many kinds of ants here, from big red ones all the way down to this very small red variety. I have experienced attacks from both those examples and if I had to suffer one or the other, I would take the big ones any day. While their bites are stronger, they do not cause the allergic reaction for me that the tiny ones do. Some ants will go after anything they can sink their teeth into. We've had them eat clothing and pillows, in addition to the more usual food raiding. I typically take a live and let live approach to life, but I make exceptions for creatures such as these. Mosquitoes, ticks and flies are right up there among the most despised.
:fire:
Lesson learned - always check the towel closely before drying off.
