Ants hate strong smells. Work their tiny noses against them. Sprinkle cinnamon, cayenne pepper, or coffee grounds near their entry points. It’s like putting a haunted house up, but for bugs.
Peppermint oil is a superstar. Mix a few drops with water and spray it along baseboards. The smell screams, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here,” in ant language—which I imagine is mostly pheromones and sighs.
Another sneaky move: set up decoy food. Put a dab of honey mixed with borax on a piece of cardboard. They’ll take it back to the colony, and it’s adios, amigos. Just keep the borax away from pets and kids—we’re not monsters.