Prevention and removal

• 1
  Properly seal and store food.Nossa Productions/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Tightly wrap and store food stored in cupboards and counter tops. Food odors attract ants from outside, keep sealed to reduce outdoor invasions.
  
  
• 2
  Refrigerate all fruits and perishableJupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Refrigerate fruits, vegetables and perishable food especially in warmer temperatures to prevent spoilage. Many ant species are attracted to fruits, sugars and syrups. Keeping these food items refrigerated minimizes ants coming in from outside as well as removes the ants' food source.
  
  
• 3
  Seal up cracks in the foundation with silicone caulk.Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Seal up cracks in the foundation and other areas by using 100 percent silicon caulk. This type of caulk is the least toxic method and less likely to shrink once applied.
  
  
• 4
  Cucumbers naturally repel ants.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Peel cucumbers. Cucumbers contain a compound known as "trans-2-nonenal" that repels ants. Place cucumber peels wherever ants enter the house. The more bitter the peel, the more it repels. Peels may be placed anywhere ants are suspected to inhabit.
  
  
• 5
  Remove sap-feeding insects from your garden.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Rid the garden of white flies, mealybugs and aphids. These insects feed on sap and then secrete a substance called honeydew. Many types of ants favor honeydew and can be found wherever these sap-feeding insects are dwelling. Removing their feed source forces them to move to another habitat.
  
  
• 6
  Pour boiling water down ant hills or mounds.Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Locate ant hills or mounds. Pour approximately 3 gallons of boiling water over the mounds and into the cracks surrounding their dwelling. This action must be repeated but is an effective method to eliminate the queen.
  
  
• 7
  White vinegar erases the scent from ant trails.Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  Apply white vinegar mixed with water over the ant trails. This removes the scent of the trail. Once the scent is removed, the ants will stop following that trail into the house.
  
  
• 8
  Spray peppermint oil by the doors and in room corners to deter ants.Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  Spray peppermint oil in all the room corners, cabinets and kitchen area. Or place bay leaves or cloves at all entry points. These natural items naturally repel and ants and other insects.
  
  
• 9
  Cinnamon powder creates an effective barrier against ants.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Spread cinnamon powder on ant trails and point of entry. Cinnamon works effectively as a barrier and keeps ants from coming indoors. Dust around outdoor nest and mounds if located.
  
  
• 10
  Soak cotton balls with a borax mixture to diminish ant numbers.Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
  
  Mix 1 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp. of borax and 2 cups of water. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and place on a flat surface the ants can reach, including the middle of ant infestations. The ants will consume and take it back to the nest to further diminish ant numbers.
  
  
• 11
  Sprinkle diatomaceous earth to exterminate ants.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around ant mounds, entry sites or any area ants have been located. Diatomaceous earth is made up of fossilized remains of single-cell organisms called diatoms. The sharp edges of the diatoms slice through the insect cuticle and the ant dies of dehydration. This form of natural extermination is nondiscriminant when it kills, so it should not be placed where beneficial insects dwell.