So I just discovered a bunch of ants downstairs and spent a while squishing and flushing them all. Right now I've got Terro bait, which I'm reading isn't the best, but I got it for the garden outside at the end of last summer when they were farming aphids on my carrots and I assumed they were living in the wooden garden bed. I just put another one out in the garden the other day because I saw an ant carrying away one of my carrot seeds. I think they're likely carpenter ants, but could be wrong. I saw a winged queen last year in the garden that someone identified as a carpenter ant queen.
I don't believe there has been an ant problem in the house before, but I'll confirm later. This is my mom's house so she makes the decisions but I can offer suggestions.
For bait, is it better to just put it down where you saw ants or put it somewhere away from your house to lure them away or something? Kind of like how beer traps catch way more slugs in your garden than there were to begin with.
And is there any sort of barrier that ants won't cross? I know there's diatomaceous earth but that just kills them after they've touched it, and they don't have any sort of aversion to it, right?
Thanks for any help or reassurance. I'm really wishing I still lived in an apartment right now.