Keeping Ants Away from Certain Areas

• Ants are easier to kill if they are all in one place. They send out scouts and workers during the day, unless they are harvest ants which prefer to work at night. Sprinkle cinnamon or aspartame around areas that you do not want ants to invade, such as your porch. A healthy dose of vinegar near their home can wipe out their scent trails and make their day harder. While none of these options will kill the ants, it will certainly confuse them and it is not harmful to people or pets.
  
  

Making Ants Want to Move

• If their home becomes suddenly unsuitable, they are more inclined to want to move out and find a better place, like your neighbor's yard. Pour white vinegar down into their home and the smell will drive them out. Scented baby powder and cayenne pepper have the same effect. Just be careful where you do this; vinegar can affect the acidity of the soil and may not be good for certain types of plants.
  
  

Killing Ants

• There are several ways to kill ants, but until the queen is dead, it is a moot point. Attack ant hills in the evening or when they have all gone into their home for the day for the best results. Pouring a pot of boiling water into the ant hill can easily wash them out. Another method that renders slower but effective results is to sprinkle polenta or instant grits near their home. The ants will pick these things up and bring them back home to their queen. Ants cannot digest polenta and grits will expand in their stomachs. Once the queen eats this she dies, and eventually the whole colony will follow. You can entice sugar ants by dissolving sugar and borax into warm water and dipping cotton balls into it. Set the cotton balls nearby and the ants will come and help themselves. It will not be too long before they eat the sugary toxic mixture and your ant problems are over.