Every spring , I am usually visited by ants in my kitchen. They  come very early and tend to already be in place when I come home from India in late February. I obviously neither want to kill them or expose myself to the danger of having poison inside my home. I have tried many different variations to make them understand that they should not be right here. I have put and sugar outside and promised them that they will continue to get sugar outdoors if they don´t come in the house. It has not worked so well. Rather, it has not worked at all. I’ve tried to sprinkle cinnamon along the skirting boards . They did not like it so much, but came in anyway. The first ants pushed away the cinnamon and made a small path way for subsequent ants.

This year I tested with bicarbonate which I have read should be good to use against ants . I left the house before my trip with a thin string bicarbonate around the kitchen and part of the living room. Despite that, they had managed to find some sweet up in a drawer by the sink . They had created a nice little path with their pheromones. What I want don´t want now is what happened a couple of years ago. Then I tried several “nice”, i e non-toxic, ways to get rid of them. One day when I woke up the invasion was in full swing. Before that, I found some odd ants here and there. That morning , it was a black high way from the wall up on the sink and into the drawer where the  honey was. So very disgusting ! That can not happen again .

I did end up using some dry poison powder in three places where I saw them enter. To prevent the invasion … you understand. Also, I have invested in a small, 75 ml bottle with red cedar essential oil . It costs 300 SEK and supposedly is detterent to all insects indoors. The day before yesterday I found some ants in a new location. I then sprayed red cedar oil there and around the rest of the kitchen baseboards. Though I kept a little poison in the three places.  I did notdare to take it all out yet. So far, the ants have not come again where I sprayed red cedar . I keep my fingers crossed and also think ahead . What if I found what is environmentally sound, smells good, is non-toxic and also effective? That would really make me happy.  Here you can read more about red cedar which is also likely to discourage fur meadows , etc. I promise I will give you feedback on if it works. Maybe I’m not alone with my ant “problem”. Where my house was built six years ago was a large forest. Their home ground. My stone patio was built apparently above an anthill . It is nice and warm for them there. I intruded on their space. Not the other way around.

To completely change the subject … In India , I met a woman named Shakti . She was in my group last year and was back with Dolano again this year. I like her so much. She paints beautiful postcards inspired by the Indian and yogic tradition with short clever messages . I bought a bunch of these to sell. There are five different designs and you buy a set with one of each, so five cards in total. It costs 75 SEK. You buy through me here. Be sure to include your address. Here are pictures of the five subjects.

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