I found this
I tried the grits thing and it didn't work for my ants. I didn't know if my cats would eat the grits or not, and how it would affect them if they did, but I tried a little and they didn't eat it, but neither did the ants. The vinegar didn't work for me either. Well, actually it got rid of them for a day, but they came right back the next day.
I'm still searching for what will work, but I found some suggestions that may be useful to the group:
Ants
Question: I am having a problem with ants in my home. I would like to get rid of them, but I am concerned that the pesticide might affect my baby. What can I do?
Answer: You are right to be concerned about the application of pesticides inside your home since you have a baby. Because babies spend so much of their time on the floor, they are significantly smaller than adults, and tend to put their hands and other objects in their mouths, they are at a higher risk for ingesting sufficient pesticides residue to cause adverse affects.
Fortunately, ants are one of those pests for which pesticides might be used as an absolute last resort. Depending on the type of ant that is infiltrating your home, there are many non-toxic alternatives which you can try first. One thing to bear to mind, ants are coming into your home because they have detected a food source. The first step in eliminating your ant problem lies in identifying the food source that they are attracted to. If you can identify the source, try removing it altogether, or at least sealing it in a container that would prevent the odor from escaping. The second step in eliminating ants is identifying their nest location and the path they take from their nest to their food source. Unlike many pests, ants do follow a regular trail, so it is important that you find it as part of the elimination process. The final elimination step consists of either repelling the ants or actually killing them. Repelling them does not guarantee that they won't find another route to their food source, but killing them does not guarantee that another ant colony won't discover the source later. This is the case whether you use chemical pesticides or natural alternatives.
Repellents: Ants can be repelled by vinegar, cayenne pepper, citric extracts, bone meal, cinnamon, cream of tartar, salt, and perfume. You will have to keep trying different repellents to find the one your ants aren't willing to tolerate. Place lines of the selected repellent at points of entry and at various points along their path.
Insecticides: There are two ways to kill ants. The first is to dehydrate them by laying out piles of instant grits ( a corn product usually located in the cereal section of the grocery store) at the point of entry and along their trail. They will think of the grits as a food source and consume the pellets. The grits will in turn absorb moisture from the ant's body, thus killing it (instant grits are specially formulated to absorb water more rapidly than regular grits, thus they are more effective). The second method to kill ants is to feed them a mixture of 1 part active dry yeast, 2 parts molasses, and 1 part sugar. They will be attracted to the sugar in the mixture and will eat it readily. Once consumed the yeast will produce gas in the ant, and because they can't expel the gas, it will kill them.
Another method of elimination involves the elimination of the nest. If you can find the nest, you can try pouring boiling water over the nest. If that isn't sufficient, you can try adding cayenne pepper to the boiling water, or using citrus extracts. If you have multiple nests, you could dig up a bucket of ants from one nest and dump it on another nest. Ants are very territorial, and they will readily hunt and kill invading colonies.
Finally, if you make way through these alternatives and have not found relief from your ant problem, call in an exterminator. Let the applicator know that you have a small child. Before selecting an exterminating company, ask what products they propose using ask to see Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) on the proposed products. If you are not comfortable with the information provided on the MSDS, contact the NIEHS Office of Communications (919-541-3345) with a list of the active chemical ingredients (we need the actual chemicals - we only have a limited ability to track down brand names). We have a number of resources to which we can turn for pesticide information. If we can find references for the active ingredients, we will provide that information to you.
ETA more tips:
Natural Ants Control Tips
Here are some of the tips provided by our customers, as a cheap, easy and short-term temporary solution. We DO NOT guarantee the safety againsts those ideas. But, it would certainly be fun to give them a try.
Fire ants: non toxic way to kill them is plain old instant Grits. The ants eat them, then go for water the grits expand inside them & they die, they can't expel gas, & you don't worry about pets getting poisoned. Just sprinkle & go. (C.K.)
Be aware of the ants movements. They usually head for their holes before it is going to rain. (W. Cabot)
To keep ants from getting into your hummingbird feeders, take a sheet of Bounce (dryer sheet) and wrap around the hanger with a rubber band of tape on the ends. The ants won't come near it or get into the hummingbird's sugar solution. This works well especially if you have hummingbird feeders hanging from trees. (Jill Robertson)
To keep ants from entering the house (or anywhere else) sprinkle baby powder on entry points. The ants won't cross and it is safe around pets and children. Bonus, smells nice too! (Charlotte)
To keep the ants out of your sugar bowl put a piece of lemon peel in it. I can assure they won't show up! I used to keep my sugar bowl in the refrigerator in the summer because of the ants and now I'm free of them! (Mike)
Use a solution of water and bleach and spray entire path ants take, you have to lose the scent they follow. (Bell)
How to get rid of the stinging from a fire ant. Take 1 tsp. of Meat Tenderizer Seasoning put in a little bowl and add a drop of water. Mix until pasty like and add to spot where the fire ant bit... IT WORKS!!! (Deborah)
For ants put orange peels on sill, put peels in ant holes and add water. They will never return. (Sammy)
Ants dislike salt. Example: if they are coming through a doorway spread a good layer of salt in their path and they will no longer enter. (Naida)
To prevent wasps, ants, etc. from entering into the drain holes along the foundation in your brick home. Get some heavy (metal) black screen from your hardware store, cut it in strips approx. 1"x3". Flex it into a U shape and place in the the slots between the bricks. This lets air in and allows drainage, but keeps the bugs out. (Kenny D)
For sugar ants, (the little black ones) mix equal parts of sugar and borax, mix with water to a paste, dab in areas where ants like to visit. It dehydrates them. Outside, sprinkle the solution around known ant colonies. I was amazed at how they devour this! (Celine)
You can deter ants by putting Diatomaceous Earth down in the dirt. It supposedly dehydrates the ants and the die. Be careful though, read the caution for kids and animals. (Eric)
To keep ants away from your pets food outside or inside, put some vaseline (in a circle) around the pets bowl. The ants will not cross it! Ever! (Spyders)
Put cinnamon or baking soda in entry point cracks. Repeat occasionally. (Sanders)
Try using ground red pepper or curry to get rid of those little black ants that invade your house, put it at the source of their entrance.
: I didn't really have many ants last year but this year they are already making an appearance. I know I've seen some postings for natural remedies for getting rid of or keeping ants away. Just can't seem to find them now.
