In my research I found that there are literally thousands of ways to control and kill ants. However, only a handful of methods that are really effective. If you have ever watched ants at work they resemble a well-organize military unit. They appear to be well trained locators of food and water. Ants are very tenacious and when there is any food or water to be located they will find it. 12,000 species of ants exist in the world with over 200 species in California alone.

The life expectancy of ant is only 45-60 days. An ant brain has about 250,000 brain cells. The human brain has 10,000 million brain cells, but a colony of 40,000 ants has the same brain capacity as a human.

When it rains you will see fewer ants running around. In dry weather ants will multiply very quickly.

You can give the queen heartburn with this mixture:

3½ Ounces of Strawberry jam (any sweet jam will do)

1 ½ Tablespoons of wet, canned cat food (cheap brand)

1 Tablespoon of boric acid

This concoction is a treat for ants and the workers will bring the treat to their queen. The queen gets excited and quickly gobbles up the goody and within a few hours dies of heartburn. Make sure this treat is out of reach of children and animals. If ingested by children and animals, it will make them very sick. But, it doesn't take very much to eliminate the queen.

10 ways that will you get rid of ants

If you have a bad ant problem and can't get rid of them, distract them away from you property by putting a slice of watermelon or cantaloupe in your yard far away from your house. Other than honey this will keep them away.If you have window boxes, clean them out and whitewash them.Soybean (glycine max) is an excellent and repellant and has been used for many years in Africa. Just prepare the spray by soaking the plant stems in water for 24 hours then using the water as a spray. This also works for aphids and coding moths.Place diatomaceous earth (DE), powdered charcoal, powdered pyrethrum-silica dust or bone meal around the base of the plants in an area; in which the ants are bothering the plants.Sprinkle some fresh tansy leaves in the corners of your kitchen counter and in the windowsills it will repel ants 100%.A vinegar cleaner can be used to wipe down cabinets and floors. Just mix a solution - 1 cup vinegar to about 2 gallons of water should do the trick.Buy instant grits (make sure it's instant grits and not quick grits) and sift them where you see the ants.Put a barrier between the ants and you. Anything in crystal or flake form can be used to deter them. Salt, black pepper, red pepper, baking soda, talcum powder... the list goes on. (Used coffee grounds are said to be especially effective, even against fire ants.) Why does this work? Imagine yourself faced with a shoulder high snow drift that's too soft to hold your weight. Would you go through it if you didn't have to? Not hardly!Ants don't care for mint or citrus, cloves or bay leaves, so think orange peel, peppermint tea, lemon juice, ground cloves, etc. If you can plant mint around the foundations of your home, you may deter them from entering. Vinegar has the same acid as citrus, so use it to clean with and ants won't feel welcome. (It probably erases or overpowers the odor trail other ants have left for them to follow.)Another way to get rid of ants is to remove what makes your living space so attractive. What will really help you get rid of ants is cleaning up any crumbs and spills, and not leaving pet food in bowls overnight. Start by cleaning up, sealing entryways, and trying to find the nest. Just eliminate their food source. Here's a killer Ant Ambrosia

4-5 tbsp of cornmeal

3 tbsp of bacon grease

3 tbsp of baking powder

3 packages of baker's yeast

Mix the cornmeal and bacon grease into a paste, then add the baking powder and yeast. Dab the gooey mix on the sides of jar lids, and set them near the anthills. The pesky critters will love it to death!