>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]