Redding Record Searchlight columnist Laura Christman described her reaction to a stubborn ant problem with hyperbole and maybe a tiny bit of truth in a recent column.

"Get out! I do not care if I have to spray you with a chemical that has the half-life of plutonium and kills all living things within three blocks. I want you GONE!" Christman wrote.

"I did not actually say that," Christmas confessed. "But I thought it. And right about then, the ants left . . . . I know they will be back."

That's why, she said, she was pleased to have the opportunity to review UC ANR's new publication Urban Pest Management of Ants in California. The 72-page book, which details environmentally sound ant control measures, was written for pest control professionals, but is also a helpful reference for homeowners. The publication is available in the ANR Catalog for $20.

After talking to the author, UC Riverside entomology specialist emeritus John Klotz, and reading the book, Christmas reached a common sense conclusion: Controlling ants is not a matter of doing one thing, but several things.

Klotz told Christman that ants can be persistent, but with persistence they can be controlled.

"So I'm not giving up," Christman declared. "I hope to determine just who my ants are and then bring them to their skinny little knees."