Getting rid of the Ants

This is how we finally got rid of the ants:

1. Over the years we've tried many different kinds of ant bait traps.  They kept the population low, but they were still always present.
2. We also made sure the kitchen was cleaned up every night.  If someone had a snack after the dishes had been washed they were supposed to wash it themselves (didn't always happen - and then we'd wake up to loads of ants.)
3. We tried cream of wheat.  Apparently they really like it but cannot digest it.  I ended up with more and more ants (like well over 100 at once...gross!)...many dead..many crawling....and they expanded their search area.  I only kept this up for a week.  It's possible if I had continued it would have worked.
4. Tried bleaching the counters every night.   This was only moderately effective.
5. My dh finally suggested calling an exterminator (we've had them every summer for years).  When I told my MIL she gave me a spray can of HotShot Kitchen bug killer to try.  She said it always worked for her.  
6. I am very leery of poison type chemicals on my counters.  So, Nathan and I cleaned off the entire corner of the kitchen counter.  Every night for a week I sprayed HotShot.  Every morning I awoke to maybe 20-30 tiny dead ants.  I'd wipe them off then bleach the entire area before the rest of my family used it for the day.
7. At the end of the week we went out of town for 4 days.  The counters were cleared and I sprayed HotShot all over them before leaving.  When we came back there were almost no ants.  
8. We've been home for almost a week and I haven't seen an ant on the counter yet!
9. The counters are still nearly bare.  I love it.  I am the type of person that would gladly jam everything inconveniently into the cupboards so that the counter is empty.  HA!  I live with 8 other people.  I have consented to leaving the coffee maker and toaster on the counter, as well as a smaller spice rack since it really didn't fit anywhere else.  I have stored the blender, Giant Magic Bullet, Bread Machine, and Mixer.  Only the mixer might make it's way back.  The others aren't used all that often.

If you have ants.....good luck.  It could be worse.  At least it's not snakes or cockroaches or something.  But I'm still glad they are gone.