Pests, where do you draw the line? -- Ants

I keep trying to become more conscious, friendlier in my dealings with nature through activities.  There are challenges, and always the question of which is the better fit for the issue occurring.  Recently we’ve had a couple of issues around the house. 

Ants:

These little buggers are tenacious.  I’m at war with them, territory keeps going back and forth.  About a year ago we came home from a weekend vacation to a full out invasion in the kitchen.  Ants don’t scare me. Growing up I was used to them coming in under the kitchen sink,  randomly –yes, but they never got any further than under the sink.  They were localized, and that was fine – well except the one time they went further and got into the Microwave. . .

They were EVERYWHERE  no central spot, not in an enclosure. They were by the cat food dishes, they were across the room in the dishwasher, they had claimed the counters and were hiding behind the stove.  Not any of these locations were adjoining.   I freaked out, went on a complete cleaning spree.

They came back.  In a way, that was ok,  we found where they were coming in – right next to where the cat food dishes were.  Not a place where we could put a conventional ant trap (cat could get right at it), and for the way the deck and sunroom were added to the house, the ants were already inside where we could put outside perimeter items.

I did some research.  I wanted a way to stop the ants w/o putting harsh chemicals and items that said ‘keep away from children’ right where my *very* curious cat could reach.   Various things stop ants in their tracks,  or at the very least make it hard for them to follow their scouts.  The scouts create a trail for others to follow by scent. Thus anything strong smelling will mess with them and make it a very difficult way for them to go.  Things like Sage and Baby/Talcum powder were recommended.  After a trek out to the grocery store,  I attacked with the talcum powder – possibly over doing it just a mite. 

They stayed away.  They were gone.  Or so I thought.

A little over a year later they were back.   Not so large in number, but they were back.  I swept them up, put them outside, and started looking for where they were coming in.  It wasn’t where they were before that was for sure.    This time it was the door and the window to the deck.  On two different occasions, my husband and I applied the baby powder, even on the wall, and outside the door.

And then there were . . . less.  For a while.   They aren’t coming from the door, at least not in any numbers, but they were once again all over my counters earlier this week.  Sunday night we did a complete clean.  Since then I’ve seen a few. Not in any real numbers – one on the sink, one here or there on a counter.  Just enough to remind me they are still there – somewhere. . .