Do you have ants in your home? Can you see a trail of them walking across your floor or counter? Ants can get into a home through even the smallest of openings, which means they can be very hard to get rid of. While there are a number of ant killers available on the market, most of them include some form of toxic elements. If you have pets or small children in the home, you may not want to spray a bunch of pesticide inside your home. The good news is that you have other options available. Here are three tips to get rid of the ants that don't involve ant killer:

Set out borax and sugar baits

Ants are attracted to sweet substances that include sugar. They'll also die by ingesting borax. You can set bait traps for them with mixtures of sugar and borax together. Mix the two substances in a small dish and then place those dishes near the areas where the ants are entering your home. The ants will be attracted to the sugar, and they'll carry the lethal combination back to their nest. Ideally, the borax will be ingested by all the ants in the nest and that will be enough to kill the colony.

If you're worried about your pet or child getting near the traps, place them under furniture near where the ants are coming in. 

Spray with vinegar

Ants hate the smell and taste of vinegar. Watch the ants to determine their entry path and then wipe a line of vinegar across the path and the entry point. The ants will likely avoid that area going forward. They'll probably try to find a new path into your home, so you may need to go through this step a few different times. Eventually, though, they'll likely determine that all paths are blocked by vinegar and that your home isn't a suitable option.

Use adhesive tape

Another option is to simply block their entrance. Find their entry point and then cover it with adhesive tape. You'll need to make sure the tape has a firm seal over the opening because the ants will find any opening possible to make their way into their home. You actually may need a few layers of tape to make sure the opening is completely sealed. To be completely sure, you may want to first coat the opening in vinegar or the borax solution to provide further protection.

For more assistance, contact a pest control service in your area (such as Emory Brantley & Sons Termite and Pest Control). They can offer solutions to get rid of the ants that are also pet and child friendly.