>Hello everyone!  I know this was posted a while ago but is there any
>other solution to getting rid of ants without harming your fuzzies?
>I've tried the peppermint oil, even vinegar!  They keep coming back
>(big black ants, and tiny red ants).  My husband and I are at wits end
>and we are thinking of calling an exterminator! :(  Any more advice
>would be great!
 
Marigolds!  Pretty, cheerful, nasty-stinky marigolds.  I don't really
have much issue with them now, but it was a very different story when
I lived in Hawaii!  I called my mother, who was a multi-generation
herbalist, and followed her gecommendation with tremendous success.  I
got "pony packs" (little pre-started plants, usually 6-8 in a container)
of Marguerette Marigolds (the miniatures, not those BIG ones you see
in the stores around Thanksgiving) and SURROUNDED my house with a
1-plant-thick all-natural ant barrier!  They are small enough that they
can even be planted across walk-through areas.  Kept dead-headed, they
will bloom continuously through the spring, summer and fall, are not
major water-hogs, and are sprightly and cute.  Non-poisonous to people
and pets.  And sage the pinched-off old blossoms!  Dry and crush them
to scatter on door and window sills for an extra bit of protection, or
whip `em up with water in your blender & make a spray!
 
Peri
[Posted in FML issue 4135]