Morning, Can't believe it's Tues!!! Planto, I think most ppl in the south kept/keeps their doors unlocked. My dh's family is from a little town, Tullahoma TN. After moving to Chicago, they were very comfortable keeping doors unlocked. Chicago!!!!! Guess after doing something all your life you get used to it. When I moved in, I wasn't used to unlocked doors, so made sure our part of the house was secure..Actually for more than one reason, lol. In your moms times, I'd bet most people kept thier doors unlocked and slept peacefully. Better times. I agree older homes have a LOT more charm, and better made. Walls are thicker for one. When we bought this house, electric wiring was wrapped in cloth. The only 'charm' was, it had 32 windows. lol. I remember some of the huge Victorians in GA..think Victorians are the correct term. ?? They're so beautiful. And big-many rooms. If we moved down south, in a huge house, away from neighbors I'd think the house was haunted..lol. Too funny. Maybe the Cracker Jack remark is an old saying. My dad used to say the same thing about drivers, He also called people who drove slowwwww, Sunday Drivers..On Mon, Tues, Wed, etc. lol. If 40F was the coldest it got in winter, instead of a Maple and Smoke Tree, there'd be a Palm out back. I agree with you. 40F is cold. Most in the midwest deem 40 warm. It's worse when temps drop from 80 to 40 like it did this week. 40F feels like 10F to me. I was born in the wrong state. lol. My grandma was born in NO's..perfect climate. Oh God!! The black stuff!!!!! What did you do? And yes, I can guess what they were..lol. Yuck. The only thing that'd be worse if the mound was filled w/spiders. But hundreds/thousands of ants is too much. I don't know much about Fire Ants except they bite. If one Fire Ant happened to crawl on someone, would it bite? You're so lucky having lizards for neighbors, lol. It'd be great looking outside, spotting the little guys/gals sitting on a plant. They're fast. What happened to the lizard that got in your house? I'm surprised he didn't jump off the plant while you were bringing it inside. He must have been as, if not more startled than you..Aww.. A 3-foot ant, I'd run as far away as possible! lol. My husband was in Nam. One day, the soldiers were walking through jungle. On one tree, not far from the ground was a 2.5-3' (that's 3-foot) CENTIPEDE. Instead of the crew walking a direct path, they circled the area, as far away as possible from this huge centipede. Imagine that scene. lol. Banana Spiders were common there, too. God only knows what other creatures lurked those jungles. No, don't think Hostas are exotic, but many are sure pretty. I'm partial to variegated plants, Hostas included. So, your Hostas are outdoors, in containers? Have you grown Hosta in containers in the past or this the first time? How do large or extra large Hosta do in containers? Are they evergreen or decidious? When you move, you can take Hostas and all. One advantage growing in pots. Are you looking for a house now or waiting? Spring is the perfect time. Moving is a LOT of work, and if temps were 40 it'd be too cold. Then again, summer might be too hot and humid. Humidity doesn't bother me, dry air does. I can't breath when air is dry. Yes, tropicals love humid air. Once you find a house, and add more plants, you'll notice the difference. Do you plan on moving in the same area? Futher south, plants can stay outdoors, year round. Your baby Hosta looks variegated, not blue. I'd like to see it when it's mature, too. I'd like to add large-leaf blue, pale green and a highly variegated Hostas in an area on the side of the house. Small ground-cover variegated Hostas have taken over. Don't know where the Hosta came from since I didn't plant it, but they've taken over the front, sides and back yard. I don't mind a few, but not thousands, lol. Digging them up shouldn't be a problem, but keeping them out, is. They're quite invasive. Five plants gotta go. Trumpet Vine, Datura, Ostridge Ferns, Lambs Ears and ground-cover Hosta. Not all, but everywhere and anywhere they're not supposed to be. Then there's the weeds. As of late Feb, a weed resembling Peperment has taken over. Every two weeks a new weed pops up. Soon Dandi's will take over. Worse, 'don't know what they're called,' but they remind me of IL Morning Glory..lol..They're vines, cling and strangle other plants, and crawl everywhere. I don't think they can be rid though. I researched and found the underground roots of this vine can originate several blocks away. Pulling is useless. They double. lol. Before you know it, they're sprouting pink/purple flowers..flowers look exactly like Morning Glory. In full sun, their blooms grow about 5". For the time being, perhaps you can either Google, buy or borrow plant books from the library...browse pictures. Choose plants you'd like to have. You'd be surprised. Do you like plants that grow large, minis, flower, fragrant flower, vines, uprights, succulents, grown for leaf color, etc. Also, there's many store-bought fruits that can be grown indoors. Beans, Avocado, Citrus, Apples..too many to name. If you buy these items, keep the seeds and sow. Randy, is Boric Acid the same as Borax? Last year we searched for Boric Acid in several stores, including HD, Ace, Walmart, Walgreen's and more. When we asked where it was located, the clerks looked at us as if we were asking for Cyanide. lol. Thanks. We found Borax in the aisle with clothing soaps. Moonie, the last three years, ants were everywhere. In and outdoors..even in potting soil. 'potted plants.' I normally don't care when ants are outside, but their population has increased terribly. If you set something down, ants cover it. Garden gloves, tools and plants..Forget a can of soda!! lol. I think they're eating plant roots. Definately Citrus Tree leaves..BTW, my citrus do not have Scale, so house plant insects are not what's luring ants. However, I'll phone a few Walgreen's, ask if they carry Boric Acid. Thanks. Planto, wish your camera took closeup pics. I'd have loved seeing your little visitor. lol. Toni I found Borax, but don't know if it's the same as BA. Would you happen to know?

There is a common term "squirrely" and a few years ago I learned where it comes from. This spring also. I have a large Grecian urn as a feature in my new garden under a Black Walnut tree. I watched a squirrely squirrel jump from the urn to my Krossa Regal and back over and over again until my hosta was flattened. It was enjoying itself until I unleashed my German Shorthaired Pointer on it. They love bombing my things with walnuts, but I have never seen them eat a hosta. What they do is when they smell recently disturbed dirt they dig looking for burried nuts so they might uproot newly planted hostas. I wonder if some pressed garlic will discourage this? Les

Aphids leave a nectar that the ants are after. That is the only reasone for ants to invade a plant like that. Insectacidal soap can get rid of the aphids and wash the plant some. Get both the top and bottom of the leaves.

Thanks, everyone. Yes, these ants look much too small to be carpenter ants. Moisture ants would make sense. The plywood in the photo is in the interior of the attic. The roofer applied plywood to the exterior of the house, under the roofing materials. I don't know about venting or what should have been done. I sued a roofer years ago in small claims court. I knew I wouldn't get any money because he was in jail, but I did it anyway and had the satisfaction of ruining his credit for 5 years. (There was more involved than a lousy roofing job.) The current roofer isn't in jail, but I suspect I wouldn't get any money from him either, simply because it's unlikely he has any. I thought I was doing a good deed by hiring him. As I said, I regret that decision. Although I dread shelling out for an exterminator, it wouldn't be a good idea for me to attempt the job myself Right now I'm seeking two reliable people: exterminator and roofer. Thanks again for your help.