Ants only come into houses for the purpose of finding food, warmth and shelter. When they find food, they will make the most of it and will establish a trail that leads hack to their nest outside. Follow the trail to the point of entry into the house and block it off with mastic sealer.

Destroy and wipe up every ant you find. Or mix some boric-acid powder (which is lethal to ants) with icing sugar and leave it on their trails. They will eat this and take it back to their nests, where the poison will be spread.

Traditional organic ant repellents, such as talcum powder, cream of tartar, powdered sulphur or oil of cloves, were once advised to be scattered at entry points, but there are now laws against their use.

You could also use a proprietary ant killer. There is a jelly bait which the workers take back to the nest; an insecticide lacquer for wall and floor junctions; and a puffer pack of powder for blowing into nest entrances and into any cracks, crevices and wall cavities where ants are seen.

It is said that ants hate lemon juice. So squirt lemon juice on windowsills and the bottom of doors. Also bay leaves left by doors and windows will also deter ants.

Ants also hate peppermint, so a simple deterrent is to buy some peppermints and place them in the corners of your cupboards. They will last for ages and keep the ants well away. It is also said that if you have an ants nest, place a peppermint at the entrance and the ants would rather starve than go near it.

Some also say that ants will never across a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself!

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How to handle an Ant invasion
1. Never step on or otherwise squash an ant. And never spray an ant with a pesticide. Ants leave a scent when they are injured or killed this way. And, that scent signals many, many more to come to the area where the ant was killed. Vacuum them instead! They won't have a chance to leave their scent. However, if you do squash an ant, immediately clean the area where you killed the ant with a good cleaning solution to get rid of the ant's scent.

2. If ants are invading your home, vacuum the ants that you see until you find out where they are entering your home. Once you discover their entryway, make a circle of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) around the opening. Ants never walk on petroleum jelly. It's toxic to them. Make that circle at least 4 inches in diameter. This will provide the ants with enough area to walk in and will prevent them from going further than the circle. Put an ant poison inside the circle. The ants are sure to find it. Leave the ants alone to consume the poison. Pretty soon, no more ants.

3. If you have pets that are kept in terrariums or cages on stands, such as reptiles or birds, place petroleum jelly around the full circumference of the legs of the stand. This will prevent ants from attacking your pets. And, the treatment can last for years. If your terrarium has electrical appliances in them, such as heaters or lights, simply place petroleum jelly on the wire so that ants cannot climb into the habitat via the electrical wire.

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You can sprinkle ground cinnamon any place that you do not want ants, They really HATE cinnamon. I sprinkle it into the carpet under my parrots cage and then lightly sweep it down into the carpet so it is not noticeable would only suggest doing this on brown or darker carpets, but you could always try a test spot on other colors first) Repeat process as needed.

One more trick that I use on the walls, kitchen counters, food cabinets, and also on really just about everything that you wouldn't want or couldn't use cinnamon on. I mix peppermint extract and water together and wash down the item with a sponge dampened in the solution. I also put the mixture into a (brand new never used) spray bottle and spray on tile floors, entry ways, in my garbage cans, etc. Repeat as needed.

Also if your tired of ants crawling on your picnic table then place the legs of the table into 4 sturdy pans or bowls of water, the ants will not be able to cross the water to climb up the table legs, also put you pet food bowls inside a shallow bowl of water with the same results. (just make sure to keep the water clean and fresh so your pet doesn't get sick) As long as the ants can not reach the table, food bowl, etc. by stretching their bodies then you will have good luck with this tip.