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]