Dear Becky and Steve,
 
I've have had ants like crazy this year, too.  I just moved, so I assumed
it was the new location, but people I've talked to everywhere have been
saying the same thing.  Ants are abundant this year.  I finally found
something that works like crazy.  I know you asked for something that is
safe around pets and this is not, but it works fast (within about a week),
then you can easily clean it up.  Mine took care of the majority of my ant
problem in a few days.  If you are careful, there is very little danger of
pet poisoning.
 
It is called TERRO.  It costs only about three bucks and you can get it at
Walmart.  You will need to find a spot where you are sure your ferrets or
other pets won't get to.  You put only a few drops on a little piece of
cardboard and set it on your countertop or even in your kitchen sink or
somewhere that you are sure is a ferret free zone.  The ants find it and
love it.  They send out messages so lots of other ants come to eat it.
Resist the urge and do not kill the ants you see coming to this stuff.
They will take it back to the nest and actually spit it out and share it
other ants.  After a while, the ant infestation will disappear.
 
You may have to set some out in a few places around your home.  We just put
one on each bathroom counter and one in the kitchen.  My son didn't see any
ants come to the TERRO he set out, so he went so far as to carefully catch
a live ant and set it in the little puddle.  Sure enough, the next morning,
it was swarming with ants.  If your ants are inside drawers, you could put
some TERRO in there, then close the drawers.  Ferret can't get in (make
sure they absolutely cannot get in), but ants can come and go at will.
Most of the ants even have the courtesy not to die in your house so you
don't have an awful mess to clean up.
 
Usually I hate to kill anything at all.  Even spiders I capture and
release, unless they look poisonous.  I think living things deserve their
chance at life as much as the rest of us, and we often find that creatures
that seem worthless and annoying are vital to the entire cycle of life on
earth (like mosquitos and their larva, for example).  But I discovered that
I draw the line at ants all over my house and in my food, bathrooms, ferret
food and drawers.  <<shudder>>
 
Best of luck with this problem, it is awful.
 
Jodie
[Posted in FML issue 2714]