Ants

I killed, with some reluctance, a nest of ants that had set itself up in my attic. I could see them crawling through a tiny hole near a window in the attic. (My attic is not finished out; who knows why it has a window?) Dozens more were visible crawling around on the inner side of the glass.

They were definitely ants, not termites, thank heaven.

I put out two small poison bait packages near the hole, and the ants were gone within about four hours.

The Buddha taught that all sentient life should be protected — even insects and spiders. I have no problems with spiders being around the house. But I was concerned that these ants, which were probably a southwestern species of carpenter ant, would tunnel into the beams of my roof and attic. And the thought of spending a few grand on repairs up there trumped my observance of the precepts.