Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Ants in house

markkemarkmarkkemark Explorer
edited April 2012 in Buddhism Basics
This may seem silly, but...I have an ant problem in my house. I have taken a vow not to kill anything, and I have been doing really good so far. Now they are starting to come into my house and I cant relocate them...I want to put some diatomacious earth out in the corners of the baseboards to kill them but that would be killing...hmmm...what should I do?

Comments

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    What's attracting them? Can you eliminate whatever's drawing them in?
    You can sprinkle cinnamon, or wipe cinammon oil, around the points of entry, and they won't come in.
  • robotrobot Veteran
    Check the web to determine what type they are. They may be just passing thru. Some times you can wait them out.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    I live in Thailand and have daily problems with mosquitos, ants red and black, some weird ass flying thingy, cockroaches and venomous centipedes. I TRY not to kill any of them or let on to my GF because she will instantly kill them. With ants I have found that they seem to send out scouts for anything sweet, even things like chicken or rice. Once the scouts are onto something an army will soon arrive. So it is wise to keep things away from a possible attack. Either in fridges or what I have come to do sometimes as I have no fridge is to set up a bowl of water, then set a large glass upside down in it with a plate on top with whatever food you choose. It is kind of like a castle and a moat hehe. If you have a nest however, that is something different and you may want to look into getting the net removed or having it fumed out. I know that is bad but sometimes there comes a time when you must do such things if it becomes a real issue. Good luck.
  • markkemarkmarkkemark Explorer
    Thank you...I think they are fire ants...not sure what is attracting them but, ill clean the floor again and try cinnimmon.
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    Fire ants can eat your home out from under you. You should have a pest control guy at least do an inspection to determine if there's a serious problem. If there is, well...you may not have a choice. But you can cross that bridge when you get to it. Assess the extent of the problem, first.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    yea, i think if they are fire ants then you will want to do what Dakini suggested for sure. Sometimes things can outweigh karma, a few ants or possibly your house....
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    Yes, I agree with the comments. While I could never advise anyone to break a vow, you might want to rethink your "every bug is sacred" stance as a lay person. Sometimes we take vows without enough thinking them through.
  • markkemarkmarkkemark Explorer
    Im at the point where I really feel as though I am going to have to break it...they are coming under the baseboards in the center of the house and just kind of going everywhere...no trails or anything but scattering everywhere...probabably looking for food. I left my coffee cup on the counter and came back a few hours later and it was full of ants...other than that I havent seen them on any food or anything. Thanks again everyone!
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited April 2012
    If they're fire ants, the house itself, including the baseboards, is food. Let us know what the exterminator says, I'm curious now. It sounds like they could be nesting under the house.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    There's a balance here. Let's see, if you drive a car you're going to squash some insects under the tires and on the front grill and windshield. Okay, no driving a car. If you walk down a sidewalk, you're going to crush a few ants. No walking. Oops, you already had insects and worms killed when they built your house. Sinner!!!!!

    You could go on and on.

    Balance.

  • markkemarkmarkkemark Explorer
    now im confused...I thought the balance was intention...If I walk and kill on accident and dont realize it, there is no intention. Maybe I should get my wife to figure it out, she doesnt have a vow to keep...lol
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    Mark, we had an ant thread a few months ago. The general consensus was that if you must, then go ahead and nuke 'em. The alternative is that they'd take over your house, and if they're fire ants or moisture ants, you could lose your house.

    Personally, I think it's best not to do this sort of thing too casually. Think of all the hundreds, thousands, even, of little deaths you'd be causing. :p But reality is what it is. Even the Dalai Lama kills mosquitos. Not every one that nails him, but many of them.

    Yeah, have your wife order the bombing. :D Not that that really excuses you, but for your own peace of mind, maybe. Good luck.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    now im confused...I thought the balance was intention...If I walk and kill on accident and dont realize it, there is no intention. Maybe I should get my wife to figure it out, she doesnt have a vow to keep...lol
    Well, it is, but to what extent do you go to in order to prevent those deaths?

    Seriously, I have read reports and seen photos of monks who were saving worms during the building of temples. So, maybe it's okay for you to walk on the sidewalk and watch carefully where you are walking, but not to ever let your children play in the grass.

    And perhaps it's less necessary where we live, but in Thailand depriving mosquitoes of water sources in which to breed -- essentially killing them -- is important to prevent malaria and dengue fever.

    When I walk, if I see an insect on the sidewalk, I avoid it. If there's an animal in the road, I avoid it if possible. But there are limits to how far one should go (in my opinion).

  • SileSile Veteran
    edited April 2012
    Those ultrasonic mouse repellers often work on insects as well, for some reason..the first year we used one, both our mice and our ants stayed away! They're not terribly expensive.

    If they are fire ants, keep in mind that fire ants eat termites (with gusto) and can actually prevent structural damage.

    The cinnamon Dakini mentioned can be very effective, and cayenne pepper powder on the kitchen surfaces, plus diligent removal of yummy sugars, often convinces ants (can take several days to a week) to look for alternative hunting grounds, in my experience.
  • ZeroZero Veteran
    One takes a vow believing its the right thing to do - its a statement of intention - later a quandary arises that requires reexamination of the vow - the intention is the same however the practical circumstances may have changed and it may be justified to reconsider the reaction - the intention remains the same, the application of which is modified by necessity.

    Would take a brave man to jump up and down about that one!

    Your home is your home - you're being invaded causing you to suffer - you will need to do something and take responsibility for whatever it is that you decide - you'll have to live with your action whichever you choose...

    Not so sure about enticing another to do it on you behalf - in my mind, that would be less reconcilable...
  • ethereaetherea Veteran
    I had a terrible problem with ants last year.They were coming out of the tiniest hole in the wall I've ever seen. Thousands of them! We tried to convince them that going back in the way they got out would be the best idea but there were too many. We blocked up the hole then tried to "shovel" them up so they could be put outside. We got the majority out but I'm afraid that when I started emptying the pantry and other cupboards to clean and make sure they were ant free, any that I came across unfortunately met a stick end.
Sign In or Register to comment.