Last week I was planting some Zinnias along the edge of my garden and ants came pouring out onto the walkway. This happened in more than one location. I hate to kill things, but the ants were covering my walkway. I sprayed them with insectidal soap, and over the next few days live ants kept coming out to remove their fallen comrades.

Now I have a dead flying insect on the walkway, and the ants are swarming all over it. This is getting out of hand. How can I control the ant population?

If you know where the anthills are, you can drown them with a garden hose.

Ants are generally harmless in the garden or even beneficial (some species help pollinate by feeding on nectar), but when they start stealing seeds and farming aphids it's time to drop the good manners.

Thanks, but drowning isn't an option. The anthills are near a row of shrubs, and I have to be extra careful about over watering since I have clay soil.