For the ants, leave out cucumber peels. Sprinkle a few over the ants' favorite spots and they will soon go away. My neighbor had an ant infestation and within two days of putting some peels out they were gone. I also heard that apple peels work because they bring them back to the nest and it will poison the queen, but I never got around to trying that.
Here is a great site for natural insect controls http://eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm