Danny...Actually, before setting baits, I was spraying with vinegar. When that didn't work, I relented, bought and set out traps. When I said I spayed vinager yesterday, in the upstairs bathroom, there were no baits in the room..nowhere upstairs. I was about to wash the sink, was in a hurry, so I sprayed with vinegar to kill visible ants, then get the sink cleaned. They don't like vinegar or Comet. When I checked later and today, there were a couple dying or dead ants. I have an idea where they're coming from in the kitchen, but not 100% certain. Especially, since I found a group behind the fridge.. Lord! It's impossible to check behind the ridge since it outweighs me; I can't move it..On the other side is the cooking stove. I fear moving the stove because the gas hose is only so long.. The instructions on bait boxes said not to use insecticides/sprays while using baits. I'm not spraying w/vinegar, 'in those areas.' Spraying would defeat the purpose since the object is for the ants who eat from the baits become host poison carriers. When they go back to feed other ants, or other ants eat from they poisoned ant/s, they too die. Did you mean to close/seal an opening with chalk or caulk? Either way, I wish it were that simple. Seems they're finding openings more than one place. We live in an old, wood/aluminum sided house. In fact, it was one of the first houses built on this street..Found this info from a library book. Around WW2, a few small, brick homes were erected..And I mean tiny, for soldiers who made it back home. This house was built prior to the brick homes, so that might give you an idea how long it's been around. At one time it was well-built. A tenant who lived here before the previous owner, went, umm, balistic. He intentionally made holes in the walls, scraped original hard-wood floors. He was evicted. The last owner bought and fixed it up. He made a huge profit. He used the cheapest crap wanna-be wood he could find. There's more, but I won't get into it. Since it was freshly painted, new carpeting, not to mention 27 windows, 'plants,' a sun room, and third bedroom with 6 windows, we jumped the gun and bought it. The Freddy Kruggar furnace should have been a clue of its age. Gas converted from coal. The door on the furnace says 1902 or 1906. I'd have to check, lol. Now you know the history of our house, Bet you deemed this short story, very interesting, lol.. YAWN Another thing..it doesn't help our neighbors have their homes exterminated regulalry. I truly believe, every creature in our neighborhood, finds our house. lol. However, I'll keep an eye out where these guys go. Then figure a way to block their entrance doorway. Glass Blower..did you have anything to do with the glass pieces displayed at Garfield Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens? Does your art involve glass? Paintings, drawings, music or something entirely different? If you feel it's personal, Danny, no need to answer. Toni All I know is I can't wait until these creatures are gone.

Gob~ I'm not too keen on the thought of moth balls... They stink! Of course, so does kitty doo-doo! :) I've thought about chicken wire, as you mentioned... I think it would be easy to work with & easy to take off when the plants come back inside for the winter. As for the PL, I noted in my OP that I didn't water from the bottom, but drench it w/ the faucet in my sink or shower, so I don't think the roots are looking for water. It was originally in a plastic insert inside of a tin decorative planter... This is why I repotted it in the first place, b/c the original container was not condusive to good drainage. I repotted it in an 6 in. pot... The root ball only had about 1 in. on the sides that I had to put new soil into, so I thought that was a pretty good fit. I just have heard that these plants prefer to be rootbound & didn't want to over pot it. Hopeful~ These are outside kittens, so they don't technically have a litter box... I'm wondering if that wouldn't solve my problem though. We live in the country, so I just assumed that they would have plenty of options when it came to "litter boxes", but maybe if I put one out, they'd use it instead of my plants. They aren't really nibbling on any of the plants. I do have a Hawaiian Ti Plant that they like to bat the leaves on, a couple of them have been shredded by little claws. :) My PL was quite big when I got it. It's now in only a 6 in. pot, but I would say the plant is about 2-2 1/2 ft. tall (from soil level up) & spreads about as wide. Yes, my PL has been growing & blooming every since I got it, it seemed to never even notice the repotting. Super~ Duct tape is a great idea! I'm just not sure how long it would stay sticky outside in our area. The plant is blocked from rain, but the heat may mess up the sticky-ness. I will have to give it a shot though. LOL, I have seen cats trying to get things off of their paws, it is quite amusing, but I usually end up feeling sorry for them & help them get whatever it is off. :) Thanks for all the replies, they're greatly appreciated! ~Shannon

If the plant was in the shade, it's doubtful that heat was much of a contributing factor to the plant's ills; and I actually think that your husband's efforts might have been a blessing in disguise. I say that because pots without holes will always become progressively limiting as dissolved solids (salts) from tap water and fertilizers accumulate and make it increasingly difficult for the plant to absorb water and the nutrients dissolved in water. The end result is a plant that dies of thirst in the middle of a sea of plenty. That you transitioned the plant to a pot with drain holes is assuredly a good thing, but the drain holes can only do half a job unless the soil also drains well. If it was my plant, I'd bare-root it (now is a very good time to do this) and repot into a durable medium I KNOW will drain well & retain its structure until it's time for another repot. You'll be quite surprised at how the plant will respond when you eliminate the old collapsed soil and alleviate the root congestion that is undoubtedly limiting its growth and vitality. LOTs of people bring me plants that have some sort of sentimental value, and the story behind their decline is almost always the same - congested roota along with a collapsed or poor soil that forces people to water in sips, which promotes high salt levels in the soil. The remedy is to bare-root and repot into a fast-draining and durable soil if I get the plant in the summer, and a scoring of the root ball and potting up if I get the plant in the winter. The later practice is only a stop-gap effort that allows the plant to limp through until the following summer when a proper repot can be done. Have you examined the roots to assess their condition (rotted?)? If you're still undecided about what to do, I'd slip-pot it into a larger pot. That is, fill a larger pot with about 4-6" of soil, then set your pot on top of that soil and fill in around the sides with more soil. The soil at the bottom of the larger pot acts as a wick & will 'pull' excess water from the smaller pot - much like the wick Jean described, but the pot-in-pot technique offers the added benefit of helping to keep the soil cooler - especially if the larger pot is gas-permeable (terra cotta or mesh, like a pond basket). Let me know if you decide to do what it takes to rejuvenate the plant. I'll ask the right questions, and guide you so there is little risk that you'll lose the plant - unless it's already infected with one of the damping off fungal infections. Al

I've read about ants making nests in the roots of a tomato plant, with the result being a dead plant. I think the problem is that they remove enough soil that the roots dry out. Here are some home remedies which shouldn't affect the tomatoes: = Sprinkle diatomaceous earth (DE) in a ring around the nest. When ants walk through this, it pierces their exoskeletons and they will die. [DE is a rough white powder, the fossilized skeletons of diatoms, a type of algae. It is sold in some garden centers. You could also try agricultural supply places or stores that feature organic foods and other natural products.] = Mix 1 cake of yeast with 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of molasses. Put it in low lids near the ant nest. Ants love sweets and will take it back to the nest; the yeast will expand inside their bodies and kill them. [Freeze whatever you don't use.] = Crush grains of white rice with a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle it around the anthill. The ants will take it inside the nest. It will expand inside their bodies and kill them. (Some people use grits instead of rice. Powdered tapioca should work too.) = Mix 1 part sugar with 2 parts borax. Add enough water to make a gel. Put this bait on squares of cardboard or low plastic or metal lids (low enough that ants can enter and leave easily; you can also raise the dirt around the sides of the lid to make a ramp). The ants will take this back to the nest and they will all die. [Too much borax isn't good for tomatoes, so don't use a lot of this in the garden.]