To Chery, et al..
 
I find diatomatious earth will repel & kill ants without poisons.  (I found
some in a vegetarian food store).  [The stuff sold for pool filters does not
work..] The microscopic diatoms (fossilized sea creatures) have sharp edges
that pierce the membrane of the exosceletons of the ants & they dehydrate to
death.  I've read they even feed it to farm animals to eliminate internal
parasites.
 
Another thing I've used is boric acid, sold in hardware/garden stores
labeled for roach removal.  This is what people used to put in their eyes
(in a more pure form), so I suspect it's way down on the poisonous list from
the current products like Raid that are using nerve toxins.
 
I'm sure you'll get other information to choose from.
 
Take care,
 
        Gary & the gang of fur
 
    The pure of heart carry within a source of good.
 
[Moderator's note: I've heard many reports that diatomaceous earth is quite
detrimental to human (and presumably ferret) lungs.  It's razor sharp on a
microscopic level and apparently *may* cause symptoms similar to silicosis
when inhaled.  At the very least I'd suggest using a good face mask and
removing your fuzzbeans when you apply it.  I don't have time to look for
references tonight - if I find anything new will post it.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1618]