Some people have made small wooden shelters that would hold a bottle cap or something similar to hold the bait, but that is unnecessary to do outside since ants, outside, are part of Ma Natures recycling machine and should be left alone, unless you have Fire Ants. You can learn about Fire Ants and how to control them at the web site below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fire Ants

You can purchase boric acid bait stations that are made for outdoor use.

MaNature must really like me then, because she gave me tens of thousands.

It is really enjoyable to try to work in your garden and before you know if there are tons of ants crawing up on your shoes and all over you.

Also running into those colonies underground is even worse.

Crawling across my driveway, all over my decks, everywhere.

Do you think she would be willing to send some to someone else's property?

I have the same sentiments lovefornature.

I love nature but somethings I do not. I can deal with snakes, mice, bugs that stay away from me but swarming ants, I can not.

They make it impossible to work in my butterfly garden and there's thousands of ant hills in the yard. I can deal with the latter but touching me draws the line.

Far better than putting out some poison to kill off those ants is to take a good, in depth look at your yard to determine why your habitat is so attractive to the ants. It probably will not take any longer to change the habitat so it is not as attractive to to the ants than it does to poison them.

It used to be that Old Dutch Cleanser worked really well against ants. I don't know if it is still sold. Nor do I know what was in it. It may have been full of something that would make you cringe worse than seven dust, but it did work nicely. Comet or some other powdered cleaner might be worth a try. Good luck. plantnfool

kimmsr...do you have any thoughts on why ants are more plentiful in one yard but not another? Why would ants find my lot attractive? I have a ton of ants, too. They are everywhere!

Ants are opportunistic. They can be found almost in the world where the habitat is suitable for their needs. These needs vary according to species, of course, but they must have moisture, a food source, protection, workable soil, etc.

Ants have 'learned' to thrive in locations where humans live, for a wide variety of reasons. We should consider them a part of a balanced eco system, but when they exhibit such bad manners as to enter our homes, sting us everytime we enter the veggie garden, etc. they should be controlled.

Exactly, I need them to be controlled. I don't care where they are in the lawn except for my butterfly garden. I'm not going to find any butterfly eggs because the ants are going to eat them all.

I can't even work in my garden because I'd have ants all over me.

Ants are most plentiful where the environment is best suited to them, there is food, water, and a decent living space. Why would one garden be more inviting than another? Since I'm not an ant I don't know. Some years some of the planting beds are very attractive the ants while other years there are none around with no apparent change from me.
Take a good look around your yard and garden to see if you can tell what is the reason the ants are there and change those conditions. Putting out poisons is really counterproductive since if you eliminate one ant nest and do nothing to change why they were there more will simply move into this vacancy.

I have heard that Tansy's will repel ants. In fact, I'm reading this forum to get confirmation before I buy a bunch of seed. If they do, that would be a great addition to your butterfly garden!