Here are some instructions I found for saving sunflower seeds @ : http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening///index.html-
Flowers in the center of the flower disk will have shriveled. The flower head will have begun to droop and the green back-side of the head will have turned yellow. Finally, pull a few seeds out and split them with a knife. The kernel inside should be solid and well-formed.
To harvest, cut the flower head off leaving about one foot of the stem attached. Place the flower head in a paper bag or cheesecloth sack and hang upside down in warm, dry location. The bag will catch any seeds that may fall during drying. When the seeds have dried, they can be easily rubbed from the head."
Rose: They are my favourite flowers! I love 'stargazer' lilies, their scent is wonderful! I usually have them in the house......beats any air freshener! :o)
Foxy Lady: Oh dear! All these creepy crawlies just love you! :oD Im honestly not laughing at your problem, its the way you tell it, it made me chuckle! Right Im going to look up ants now on google lol
Rose: thats great, sounds like good stuff! I much prefer enviro friendly stuff.....I try & avoid chemicals in every situation (not just gardening) if possible
Another tip for Foxy Lady......I was watching a cooking programme set in Marocco & they were growing lots of grapes on overhead trellis, then on the ground they stuck a stick with an orange on the end of it, the orange was covered in syrup & all the bugs were attracted to it & they left the grapes overhead alone!
Dont know if this helps at all, but it worked well in Marocco & its enviro friendly too!