kitchen ants

hi, yeah. update.
I've been job free for almost a month, which is mostly fine because I still have leftover money and I should be working again any day now. Despite being quite a heavy user of not working --especially in the last year or so--I only recommend it for short periods of time. What is perhaps most troubling during my latest not working bender is that I've become attached to our kitchen ants, who over the last month have busily worked over anything left out on the counter. They even had a brief dalliance with the cayenne pepper, which, correct me if I'm wrong, ants aren't supposed to want to take back to the hill.
Anyway, the ants have suddenly, without warning, moved out. vacated our cupboards and baseboards with no explanation whatsoever. And, despite being sick of fishing suicidal ants out of cups of water and trying not wash them down the sink, I actually felt really bereft when John pointed out that all the ants had gone. where did they go? and why?
It seems clear I should get out more. Maybe give this work thing a shot.