Natural remedies for ants?

LSU628

Ants have taken over one of the corners of my square foot garden. Since I grow my veggies and herbs in there, I obviously don't want to dump a whole bunch of poison or chemicals in the garden. Are there any natural remedies that you know of to get rid of the ants without poison?

anelms

My grandma used to pour a pot of boiling water on an aunt hill to get rid of them.

angelaggie

I never post here, but saw this and actually have an answer

Cinnamon.  Not sure if it works on all ants, but it gets rid of fire ants pretty quick.  I see you're in Louisianna, so most likely you do have fire ants.  We put it in sand boxes and things like that.

Also instant grits.  Just open the package and sprinkle around.  They expand when the ants eat them.

MMP

Most Terro ant killing products are made of borax and a sweetener.

~NB~

What exactly do you mean by "get rid of them"? You want to kill them, why?

If the nests bother you, why not just dig/rake them away whenever you see them? They'll find a better spot.

laura*sean

Sprinkle red hot pepper flakes around the perimeter of your garden.  They'll walk up to the hot pepper but not cross the line.

LSU628

~NB~:

What exactly do you mean by "get rid of them"? You want to kill them, why?

If the nests bother you, why not just dig/rake them away whenever you see them? They'll find a better spot.

I want to "get rid of them" because they have made my raised garden a huge ant bed. I really want to teach my 19-month old about gardening, but she made the mistake of standing in the edge of their bed and she got attacked by fire ants. I also have been bitten several times while gardening and it hurts like hell! I have tried just knocking down their beds but they are persistent and keep coming back. 

Pamela05

~NB~:

What exactly do you mean by "get rid of them"? You want to kill them, why?

If the nests bother you, why not just dig/rake them away whenever you see them? They'll find a better spot.

You obviously don't have experience with fire ants. No need to relocate them, the damn things don't ever really go away, just move over a few feet.

I've been told cornmeal works but haven't tried it yet. I want to grow okra but the ants devour it. They also think my squash mounds are ready made mansions for them.

gibbonlove

I've also heard the red pepper flakes idea, but it doesn't get rid of them necessarily. Cinnamon? I'll have to try that one!