It’s the annual battle that torments us all: the summer ant invasion. Luckily, there are some inventive ways to get rid of ants determined to get into your house without running after them with hairspray or crazy ant poison.

* Put cucumber slices around cracks underneath doors or windowsills. Ants hate cucumber. If they don’t take the bait, you’ll have a nice floor salad.

* If you’re worried about using chemical ant spray around children or pets, make your own. GetRidOfThings.com suggests mixing water, tea tree oil and vinegar in a bottle sprayed around doors and windows.

* Ants hate anything sticking to their feet (apparently), so leave any kind of fine powdered substance around entry points and they won’t come back again; talcum powder, chalk, salt and flour works, although not icing sugar; they’ll just roll around in it with joy.

* Hunt down the queen ant and kill her, leaving the rest of the ants rudderless. Probably the most roundabout way of stopping the invasion.

* Keep all countertops and surfaces clean at all times. The more food particles you wipe away, the less likely ants will invade.

* The one sure-fire (if slightly pricey) way to get rid ants with an organic substance is by using polenta flour or cornmeal. It destroys ants’ digestive systems and kills them.