Solve this minor mystery for me?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

We have a cleaner, who obviously hasn't been coming recently. When I first did a full house clean in the first week of lockdown, I pulled up the carpet runner in the hall to hoover underneath.

On the floorboards, at one end, there was a little mound of sand. I don't mean a light sprinkling but about 3-4 heaped tablespoons' worth.

We last went to the beach on Christmas Day, so I thought it was a bit rubbish of our cleaner, as she obviously hadn't hoovered the hall in 12 weeks or whatever. I cleaned the hall particularly carefully.

The next week, when I took up the runner again.... there was exactly the same pile of sand! I apologised mentally to my cleaner and figured it must be that the underside of the runner had a load of old sand trapped in it. I flipped it over and hoovered the underside of the carpet pretty thoroughly.

But the next week, and every week since, the sand is back. It is only ever in one particular place. It is a little flattened mound.

How, how is it getting there?? Is it some kind of sinister omen or am I just a massive slattern?

Elves.

Mice?

Termites? Other kind of wood eating insect?

Could you have woodworm in your floorboards making sawdust?

Ants

Is it proper sandy sand? We have kind of black/grey sand in our hallway near the door. I need to look into it. I'm assuming it's some sort of creature. We get lots of woodlice and ladybirds in sometimes, and other bugs, and did have a mouse for a bit but I didn't think it was living around that bit of the hall.

It's probably insect or rodent action.

Is the backing or pile of the carpet degrading?

The backing of the runner is decomposing. I've seen similar.

My guess would be some sort of insect. It probably needs looking into if they’re creating that amount of debris.

X post quillink
I'd have been quicker but spent ages trying to think of a better word than decomposing. Degrading is better.

Your DH/one of the DC is playing a Mr Twit style trick on you.

Or one of your household is sleep walking down to the local sandpit every night and bringing it back.

It's the backing of the runner.

Look at the underneath of the runner. Is there a tiny hole in it there?
If there is, grit from every day movement might be dropping it through the hole.

So it is definitely sand, not sawdust. Beige/ cream fine sand, just like on a beach. It is perfectly dry.

If it is a hole in the carpet why isn't all sorts of random twigs etc there? Why just sand?

Def not DH/ DC. DH as surprised as me, DC too young and no access to sand.

I would guess ants 🐜

Ants.

Okay, wouldn't we see them though? Also it is at the opposite end of the hall from the front door. The end by the door is clear. So they would be bringing sand in through the porch, down the hall, leaving it one specific place under the carpet and fecking off again without a trace?

Is that typical ant behaviour?

We get piles of sand on our street where ants have built up an exit from the grass verge. They might be running along the side of the boards rather than on the top of the boards. Put some ant killer between the boards under the runner and see what happens.

Can you post a picture?

Carpet beetle "poo" is like sand. They will eat any sort of carpet, even synthetics.

Picture or LIES

Ants

Definitely ants. Put down ant traps and it will stop.

at pic demands.. we'll need to wait till I next vac the hall on Sun. Those ghosty elf ants need time to build up their stash of hidden treasure!