In article , Nate Nagel wrote:

Am starting to have problems with ants in my kitchen, they seem to be
specifically going after the breadbox which sits on the counter. Don't
see them anywhere else in the house. Is there something that I could
set it on that they wouldn't be able to crawl up to get into the
breadbox? Kitchen is pretty clean, having just cleaned up after doing
some work in there. Cleaning up any currently uncleaned areas would
involve pulling the bottoms out of cabinets etc. Can't see where
they're coming from, although I thought I saw one crawl out from inside
a corner cabinet with a lazy susan in it (great. I'm sure that'll be
fun to take apart.) No food is stored in that cabinet though so that
makes no sense.

The other response suggesting to poison them with poisoned bait makes
sense to me.

In addition, I would not have any unsealed food or crumbs in that
breadbox.

Beyond that, I suspect a plastic item made of polyethylene (one variety
of which has recycling symbol of 2 in that triangle of 3 curved arrows),
smeared with mineral oil, will probably be unclimbable by insects. Maybe
put that on some sort of lid or tray to hold any oil running down.

Maybe better still, put the breadbox on something in a tray that has
mineral oil maybe 1/8 or 1/4 inch deep. I doubt insects can walk over or
swim though that.

But back to earlier - I would avoid having anything yummy-smelling
in any way where ants can smell the odor if they come around to explore
for food.

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Possible trap for insects and other similarly small critters, known to
work for slugs:

A small tray or deepish lid filled with beer or wine. Critters come in
for a drink, and drink themselves to death. Sometimes they decide to
take a swim in it, and alcohol is absorbed through their skins to an
extent that kills them in a few minutes.
Beware - the alcohol may evaporate enough to make the brew non-lethal
in a day or so or less, though a few critters (especially slugs) will swim
into beer a couple to a few days old and not come out alive.

- Don Klipstein )