Mounds

• Unsightly ant mounds can interfere with lawn maintenance, making eradication necessary. The first step is to rake the mound and smooth it level with the lawn. The ants may or may not rebuild it. If the mound is rebuilt, a liquid spray, such as pyrethrine, should eliminate the colony. You can also use granular bait. Simply spread it around the mound and let the ants take it back into the nest. Follow the label directions whenever you use a pesticide.
  
  

Nest

• Even if a colony does not build a mound, it might come into your home from an underground nest in the lawn. In this case, with no mound to identify the ants' location, you need to follow their trail from inside the house back to their nest in the yard. One trick, recommended by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is to leave some honey for the ants inside the house. Once they have eaten, they will immediately head back to the nest. When you locate the nest you can use liquid pesticide or baits for control.
  
  

Perimeter

• If you're having a problem with ants coming into the house but cannot locate the nest, you can set up a control perimeter around your home. Caulk thoroughly around windows and doors. Locate any opening where pipes or wires enter your house and caulk these as well. You can also spray a 2 to 3 foot band of liquid pesticide along your home's perimeter. Spraying pesticide or spreading baits on the entire lawn is not recommended as this will eradicate any beneficial ants along with the invasive ones.
  
  

Organic

• Homeowners who want to avoid using synthetic chemicals for lawn ant control can try organic methods. Perhaps the simplest way to eliminate an ant nest is to pour boiling water on it. This is effective at times when ants congregate near the top of the nest, such as on sunny and cool mornings. Another simple method is to dig up the mound or nest with a shovel. Make sure you treat the bottom of the handle with talcum powder to keep any ants from climbing up the shovel.