ANTS: This last week we have been battling with red ants in our yard. They came up out of the ground to the north east of the house. Their trail led all the way around the east end of the house to the south (front) side, ending up west of the house in the yard. They were crawling up the side of the house (these are the same kind that we had in the house shortly after we arrived). We laid lime powder around the house and sprayed the windows with diesel to keep them out of the house. A few days later we found them crossing the driveway right at the gate (which made getting out of the vehicle to open the gate very interesting). They crawl up on you and then start biting. It is not a pleasant experience to say the least. As they were crawling across the driveway I figured out they were heading under our container. So I checked inside and around. Then sprayed the outside perimeter of the container with diesel as well. The next day they were still at the gate, but making their way out of the gate and into the mound in the front property (outside the wall).
TERMITES: Today Sophie and I went out to the container to get a few items and a couple of the presents we had brought from the states as the boys birthdays are coming in April. After we got what we were looking for and on our way out of the container, Sophie noticed a lot of dirt on one of the boxes we had just removed from inside another box. I went back in where that box was and found that there was a termite "tunnel" around the box. The termites like to build mud tunnels to travel through. I started pulling out boxes and found that we had quite the infestation. We found them about halfway into the container. I went outside and found they were coming up through the floor of the container, and I guessed that it was right about where the piano is. Needless to say we panicked a bit. I started pulling out boxes and working my way along the busy termite tunnel (they scattered with each box I removed along the floor). They were all the way to the front of the container. So we emptied out that side all the way to the front. I wanted to get to the piano, but we had to get to the freezer and a couple big boxes of furniture (we have not needed these yet since we are still house sitting for one of the missionary families here that are to arrive back on the field in about a month). Finally about 8pm tonight I made it to the piano. Several of the boxes were just crawling with termites. Several boxes of books are damaged (they seem to like old books eating bindings and pages, some of the newer books were not too bad, though some of our college yearbooks they really liked the thick covers). From what we found so far, not too much of the furniture seems to be damaged. One of our co-workers brought over a bug bomb which we lit and will let sit until tomorrow. I will probably try to empty the whole container and tilt it up so we can see what damage is done from underneath. Here they use a mixture of oil and diesel to paint wood with to keep the termites away, so we will probably try to do that as well.
We are thankful for God's protection through all of these experiences. Thankful that no one was bitten too bad by the red ants. And thankful that the Lord allowed us to find the termites now (we might not have found them for another month or so and the damage would be much worse - one of the veteran missionaries thinks the termites have only been in the container a few days by the look at what damage had been done). Please keep praying for us, that we would see God's goodness in all that happens here in Zambia.
