I have tried various things. Someone even told me that there is a spray that has wintergreen or something like that. I haven't tried the spray but would like to because it is natural.
Nothing I have tried for ants - yes, my house gets invaded every once in a while - has worked except TERRO. I get the ready-filled bait containers. The ants love it and take it back to their ant hill. It takes a day or so but then I don't see any ants for quite a while.
It is my understanding, though, that TERRO is very, very poisonous so don't put it where kids or furbabies could get into it.