You can use cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cloves and bay leaves. Sprinkle the powders where the ants are coming inside and where they tend to congregate. You can mix the chili powder with water to make a paste if you find the powder alone to be ineffective, this can concentrate its deterring power.Ants don't like the smell of cloves or bay leaves, so put these along their trail, at the entrance or around the kitchen to keep the ants out as well. Even mint oil, or an unwrapped stick of mint gum, could chase the ants back out the door.
Another option is to put apple cider vinegar or white vinegar in a spray bottle either full strength or diluted, and spray the ant entrance and affected areas. You may have to experiment with various concentrations of the vinegar water solution to get it right for your area. The smell will go away pretty quickly for you but will last longer for the ants. Use a fine mist and you don't have to wipe it up, which can help it to be more potent for the insects.
Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120410084203AAenCjw
Natural "Ant Traps"
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup of baking yeast
½ cup of molasses
6 index cards or can lids
¼ cup of baking yeast
½ cup of molasses
6 index cards or can lids
Simply mix the sugar, yeast and molasses together. Smear them on the index cards or any lid. Put these sticky sides up in the high traffic areas of the ants. Its sticky, its natural and it traps them.
Look to see where the ants are coming in and wash the area with straight white vinegar. Something about the vinegar seems to repel the ants.Let it dry.
There are many natural ways to repel pests like fleas, moths and ants. They are safer on the environment and for the most part worry free.
Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/natural-ways-repel-ants-moths-fleas-679246.html?cat=7
