Boy, what a subject for a first time poster!
 
I live in an area that I and my neighbors call Ant Hill so I know what yall
are going through.  Here is what we do to keep the ants at bay that isn't
harmful to fuzzies or anything else in the house.
 
1.  Seal *anything* that could be eaten by ants in jars or ziploc bags.
This includes ferret food, flour, corn meal and other stuff that you may
have in canisters on your counter, chips, cookies, pasta, etc.  I've even
seen ants eating bubblegum flavoredtoothpaste in my kid's bathroom!
 
2.  Follow the line of ants to its entry point.  This is usually a window
sill, or a hole under a counter but could be a seam in paneling or a crack
in the sheetrock.  Once you find the entry point clean from that point all
along the trail the ants have make with vinegar.  I usually use a half and
half solution of vinegar and water.  This will get rid of their chemical
trail.
 
3.  Make sure that your kitchen I spotless.  Even a drop of food or
something left on a counter will eventually be found by scout ants and
then you have to start all over again.  Believe me, I've been through this
enough to know.
 
After a few weeks of this treatment you should be ant free and you won't
have to deal with pesticides or other nasties.
 
BTW, my name is Monica and I am owned by Frisky an albino male who *really*
hates it when I put him in his cage so I can quilt without him burrowing in
my work.
 
Monica L. Tittle [log in to unmask]
Alabama 31 Auburn 17
Winning isn't everything but beating Auburn is!
                                        -Poster at the Iron Bowl
[Posted in FML issue 2529]