Use your kid's blackboard or sidewalk chalk to draw a 1/2 thick line - Ants won't cross it . I used this when the dog's food bowl was overrun by ants. Kid's chalk is generally calcium sulfate (gypsum).

National Geographic says there are 16,000 different species. Some nest pretty close to the surface, and that boiling water trick might work on those little ones.. Then again, there are many other larger kinds where the queen's throneroom/egg-laying chamber is a safe meter under. No way water's going to penetrate that deep. Alls you do splashing hot water is kill off some infertile female workers... of which the queen lays thousands of eggs daily to replace, as they're anyway quite dispensable.

By the way, if you don't have any boric acid around to mix with the confectioner's sugar, then you can use Boraxo hand cleaner powder. Boric acid is derived from borax. I think powdered gypsum, as from drywall, or talc as from talcum powder, or white lime as from the hardware store, might work too, Thing is to get the worker girls to take it back to that big old egg-laying queen... make lines of the baited powder mix crossing where they like to go. Once she's done for your problem will be soooo over.

b!