Nobody knows exactly when the first slab of meat was cooked on an open fire and eaten outdoors. All we know is that the practice became so popular that most of us spend more time eating at our picnic tables than at our kitchen tables during the summer months – and beyond. As much as we love cookouts, however, there always seems to be something waiting to interfere with our good times.Whether it’s a long-planned-for, special occasion, or a spur-of-the-moment decision to eat outside, things often go awry at picnics. It may be a sudden rainstorm, complaining neighbors, a food shortage, a grill that won’t light, feuding relatives or friends, drunken relatives or friends, relatives or friends who weren’t feuding when they arrived, but got drunk and went at it, drunken relatives feuding with friends, friends drinking with feuding relatives, or any combination thereof.Party-crashers can also be a hassle; especially when they’re ants. Among the most hated intruders of all, an ant can sneak up and be on your plate before you know it’s there, then duck into a crack when you go to swat it, leaving you with a throbbing hand, as it laughs itself silly, without even dropping the crumb it just chomped out of your bun – uh, burger bun, that is.Also amazingly strong, the average ant can carry 10 to 20 times its own weight. If that seems unimpressive (after all, they’re so light that they can crawl up your leg and bite your bun – burger or otherwise – before you know they’re there), imagine trying to carry – not just lift – something that weighs 10 to 20 times as much as you do. Even if you weighed a measly 100 pounds, and multiplied it by only ten, you’d have to be able to carry half a ton to compete with an ant in the strength category. So, theoretically, relative to their sizes, ants can carry the equivalent of a ton! Yeah, you really gotta hand it to ants.On the other hand, you really gotta kill ‘em! Otherwise, they’ll soon be after the buns in your house. Although most people know that bait stations can get rid of ants indoors, many don’t realize that there are bait stations made specifically for outdoor use, with stakes that anchor them to the ground. Both types work by using a poison that foraging ants take home for the other ants, including the queen, to eat, thus destroying the entire colony. Just place the baits 15 to 20 feet apart, around the perimeter of your home, or wherever you see ant trails. You may also want to try granular or dust products, with which you can create 3- to 5-foot barriers around your house.Getting rid of pesky ants is one way to save your buns at your next barbecue; another way is with a picnic table from AllPicnicTables.com. Besides cedar, pine, oak, teak, and cherry tables that are resistant to decay, as well as invasive insects, AllPicnicTables.com features aluminum, thermo-plastic coated steel, polywood, and vinyl picnic tables that are virtually indestructible, and available in an assortment of bright, stylish colors.To see their huge collection of picnic tables, as well as a wide variety of porch and patio furniture, visit AllPicnicTables.com. To contact a design consultant or customer service representative, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail contact@allpicnictables.com.