Oh Amber I wish you were there with me, he was flitting all over the place and so very cool. I hope he returns. I wish you were here with me more often, actually. I felt we spent so little time together at the swap last weekend (sigh) Wish you were closer so you could sit with me in the evenings by the pergola THAT would be so wonderful. You are a true delight. I have always been too impatient with my picture taking. Ill-Man gave me a few hints, Like click like crazy until ya get the perfect shot and take a deep breath before you shoot. Well, that's way too much multi tasking for me!! So I kept snapping until the sun caught it's wings.

Easy answer - it's what I do EVERY year. I have a small bucket of water. I dip the peony blooms, stalk and all in the bucket and secure them with a small weight to keep them submerged in the water for about 10-15 minutes, and the ants float to the top. I either scoop out the ants or add water to rid them via the overflow, and then gently shake the peonies before bringing them inside. I've done this for years. Never had a problem. Even if a stray ant does get inside, it's not like it's going to form a colony.

I haven't done any research, but I have had some of each. Right now, we have a cool mist humidifier in our bedroom - and it does NOT make my room wet, and nothing is growing mold. The warm mist ones we've had DID make the room wet - and while I never saw any mold growing, I'm sure the risk was higher with them, because of the extra moisture. The big difference is that our current humidifier (the cold mist one) has an ADJUSTABLE HUMIDISTAT built into it. I can program it to 55% humidity (or whatever level I choose), and leave it there - it comes on when it needs to, then shuts off when it reaches the appropriate humidity level. Both of the warm mist humidifiers we had were not adjustable - so we'd turn them on at night, and wake up in the morning to damp sheets and windowsills drenched in water. If there was a risk of mold, it was because of TOO MUCH humidity in the air with those things! Anyway - point is, whatever you get, get one that can automatically adjust to maintain a healthy level of humidity. Too much humidity in your air will create mold problems, regardless of the temperature of that humidity.

This is a recipe that was given by the head groundskeeper of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It uses somewhat what Daisy referred to...only use boric acid....bought at any drugstore. To two cups (450 millilitres) of boiling water, add two teaspoons of boric acid, and two cups (450 grams) of granulated sugar. (I know how to measure metric...but I'm still not used to writing about it) Stir to dissolve sugar fully. Let cool. Then, into a small container....much like a margarine container, you put holes at the sides at the bottom to let the ants enter. Into the container you place about 6 cotton balls (also bought at the drugstore) after soaking them in the solution. Put the lid on to prevent other insects such as bees from entering. Then place the containers where you see the trails or mounds of ants. The idea is for the sugar to be the come-on...the boric acid the killer. The worker ant takes the liquid back to the nest and feeds it, like a good ant will, to Queenie.. she gets a terrible tummy ache....and the colony dies with her. Any pointed shoe can kill an ant in the corner...it takes a wise wearer to know how to kill hundreds without putting your foot down. Anyway, its supposed to work on the feared RED ANTS of southern U.S. so I cant see where an Ausie ant's stomach is any less upsetting. Now there are a few more suggestions and they are talked about widely whether they, in fact, work or not. Grits....that southern U.S. morning food.....tastes like bland cream of wheat... well, this stuff expands when moistened and figuring an ant's stomach has such acid, it suggests when an ant eats the grits, the stuff explodes inside its stomach. Another one....make the ant cross through some baking soda. He gets it on his feet (or whatever an ant calls his feet), some of it gets into his mouth...and the old story.... when baking soda gets wet it turns into carbon dioxide.... GAS that is....and since an ant cant burp, cant flatulate, he goes all to pieces. Anyway, that's the theory.