controlling Ants

Real talcum powder has been removed from the US market because of contamination with asbestos.  Most of what you can buy now is actually corn starch scented to smell like the old baby powder.  

Rule #1 when dealing with a pest.  Know their habitat requirements and make the habitat as inhospitable as possible.  

With ants, I find that the ant mound torches are a good option if you are not in a fire prone area or time of year.  It's best to use when its a bit damp and not windy.  It injects propane into the mound and then lights it to consume all the oxygen and suffocate the little biters.  

The borax tainted sugar water works too but keep it away from pets.

Alternatively, there is a guy on youtube that will fill their mound with molten metal to create the most amazing sculptures.  

If you have peonies and certain other plants, you want to leave the ants on them. I can't remember why, but the ants are actually beneficial to the peonies.

Tansies (Tanacetum vulgare) might deter ants. People have used dried tansy to repel ants. https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/chrysanthe-mum/tansy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy#Insect_repellent "hardy at USDA zone 1 and higher" https://hardiness.zone/plant/?sle=Tanacetum&art=vulgare

Hey Nick I live in oklahoma and have tones of fire ants I would like to try your solution and see if it works for them

Welcome to permies, Ti!
I hope Nick's recipe works for you.

A very little sugar in diatomatious earth. The sugar draws them in, the de gets on them, they take it back to the nest, and share it with the rest. The d.e. scratches their caripace, they dehydrate and the whole nest dies.