Last year I noticed that the ants were helping my cats eat their dry food. Since I had a package of Mint flavored breath mints, I took 3 or so of them out of their little individule plastics and put them beside the cat food. After a day or so no more ants, still have not returned. That was so successful that I took more of them outdoors and put them around an ant hill, THOSE ants loved it and swarmed all over them. Had to resort to the old faithful Boric Acid and Sugar for them.
I asked a friend for some of her Aspartame for the ants in my far back yard, I'd heard that it was good for them. They are little tiny things that crawl all over the water hose and then up my arm while I'm watering my plants!!