Question asked by Bradley
Dear Pastors, I'm not sure what too do, my family's home that I am watching has an ant infestation in the kitchen. I try to sweep them kindly away to where they are coming from, and not too harm them and attempt to do a through cleaning of the counters to remove ant trails. Are there some non-aggressive approaches to dealing with insects like these? As I am aware of the precept of not killing sentient beings. It pains me greatly to be in a situation like this, I don't want to hurt or kill them, nor aquire the karma of killing them but I can't allow the house to be over runned before my family returns. I don't even swat mosquitoes and if I find spiders or flys in the house I capture and release them outdoors. What would you do in a situation like this?
Dear Bradley,
Your question is a very sincere one and shows that you are really trying to keep your precepts well. I really rejoice for you. Anything that happens in life, is due to karma. Therefore the reason why you have an ant infestation is because you have a karmic link to all the little ants that invade the house. That being said you are facing this problem because this karma still exists, therefore in order to solve the problem you need to get rid of this karma and one way in which you can do so is through purification practices, such as the 35 Confessional Buddhas or Vajrasattva recitation. You can recite the prayer remembering the Four Opponent Powers: Refuge, Regret, Remedy (the recitation) and Resolve. Then dedicate the merits to the ants. You should think strongly that through the purification, the karma is cut, and you wish them a good rebirth and that they can practice the Dharma and achieve enlightenment. This will go a long way in helping the problem on a spiritual level.
On a physical level, you can try using essential oils such as Peppermint, Tea Tree, Clove, Lemon or Orange. Just put a few drops in a piece of cotton wool and leave near the areas that are infected. Alternatively you can dilute in water and spray on the areas that are effected. You can also use vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead of essential oils. I had tried both before and they work. Just make sure you do not spray directly on to the ants as this will kill them.
Alternative you can create a citrus spray. Simply add peels (lemons, oranges, etc.) into a pot and cover with water. Heat this up until steaming, and then let cool down. For more effect, let it cool overnight. Then strain and you can use this as a spray. I hope this helps.