Ants

TRY THIS--- it works GREAT!!!
Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

I hate to use chemicals near my children or pets. I use peppermint (or cinnamon) essential oil around the perimeter of my house. Just a few drops here and there and the bugs, ants/spiders/etc, disapear. It is safer than harsh chemicals, dries quickly and works really well. You can purchase it at a local whole foods, health food store or contact me and I can help you.
Good luck
K.

Outside ant traps. They take the poisoned food from it, then take it back to the colony. Genius! Good luck. A tad "less humane" way some people do it, boiling water on the colony. Kinda seems to abrupt for me. But good luck.

Cinnamon kills instantly!!! Just out some out side your door and where they might get in your home and they will be gone soon!! And there is nothing harmful to your children and it smells good!

I know that if you put flour down along the doorways and such they can't get inside. As for getting rid of them my old landlord put something in the ground that made them leave. I'm sorry I don't know what it was. Home Depot or Lowes or something like that can help.

Chystal, try TERRO ant killer

Hello I have been using Home Defence now for 2 years and it seams to work very well it is a spray and you go around the outside of your home and the inside of your home and never have to worry about bugs again. It's not that expensive and you should be able to find it at any green house or even walmart. Once you spray it lasts up to 12months before you need to spray again.
Hope this might help a little.

a very effective deterrent and it is non toxic to your child is dish soap!!!
It works. I use dawn but any brand works. Just spread it thinly onhte area they proliferate and they will not come back! It smells nice to if you use the apple scented dawn. Do not wash it off for about 3 weeks, just let it sit there and they will not coem back. It sounds odd, but it really works.

There are some chemicals you can use to spray the perimiter of your house, but personally, I would just let them be. And not just because of my buddhist mentality. Make sure you aren't leaving food or sugary substances outside that will attract them. We've been having a terrible time with the teeny little ants but the problem is inside. We've put out traps and sprayed and the whole gammat. But we've found that if we just really keep a tight lid on crumbs and spills and whatnot, the problem corrects itself.

If you are seeing big carpenter ants, you might want to call an exterminator as they can do significant damage to your home.

EDIT: Found this information on this website - cool!
http://eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm

The first line of defense is to remove the attractants: keep counters free of crumbs and sticky spots. Cover the sugar and put the honey jar in a plastic baggie. Cut off water sources such as drips or dishes left soaking overnight.
If the ant invaders persist, try these simple measures:
Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of soapy water.
Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants' point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.
Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
Mix a half teaspoon each of honey, borox, and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.), in small bottles. Place bottles on their sides, with lids off, in areas of most ant activity. Ants will carry the bait back to their colonies. Important: use indoors only; must be kept away from pets and children.
Leave a small, low wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.
Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the cracks.

Terro Ant Killer has an outside pellet that you can put around your house and throughout you lawn. That last for about 4 to 6 weeks and there is a chemical called TEMPO that also helps for mosquitos. That is a liquid that needs to have water added to. It is orderless and it says on the bottle that is what hospitals use. You can also spray that on your house and that will help for them to not come in. That doesn't last as long because when it rains it weakens its chemical. Tempo is expesive, but the bottle usually last along time. Terro is just on sale at Menards for like $6 something. Hope this will help you for your ant problem.

Hello- You can purchase dust (Chinchilla dust) from pet stores. This sufficates ants..and no chemicals!

Good luck-H.