If you see a dryer sheet in your mailbox, that means that a mail carrier likely left it behind—intentionally. According to Reddit users, the dryer sheet actually helps to keep bees and wasps away!
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I keep having ants build a nest underneath the mailbox in the wood post…somehow. I am going to try this today.
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What I have used against ants has been Vinegar. I spray it all over the area they tend to traverse. In some cases right on top of them…which seems to do the trick. I use White Vinegar in the house around all my windows and door jambs…seems to work on those large carpenter ants as well. Have to reapply every once in a while, but its certainly effective.
During the early spring when we see those little sugar ants, I start spraying and within 24 hours all I’m finding are dead ants. Vinegar is my go to pest deterrent and over all household cleaner.
Here is an article I found recently addressing this very issue:
Of course if you have those Fire Ants, try this: Another home remedy would be to pour some grits on the mound. If the ants do eat the grits, the moisture in their body will cause the grits to expand causing pressure within the ants and killing them.
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I don’t know if my postal delivery person would appreciate my mailbox smelling like vinegar 
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White vinegar smell dissipates pretty quickly.
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Ants hate anything with a really strong aroma as it confuses their scent trails. Most insects are repelled by intense(to them) odors as well which is why mint, citronella, and lots of other oils repel insects moderately well. Even coffee grounds are good at making ants look elsewhere. I’ve been using a mix of coffee grounds and black pepper in the mulch beds and lawn to move all of the ant hills out of the yard into the yonder out back. Along with some good old pesticide when the fire ants erupt a new volcano in the yard.
<–Guy in the Chair for a pest control company. I know things and direct professionals to poison and kill unwanted visitors.
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I had an ant nest under my back door step, my gardener suggested I pour the contents of a boiling kettle down the crack. Which I did. The next day I repeated the process as there were still a few ants left although not many. 5 years later I have never seen another ant anywhere near my house. Job done I think
This actually is exactly what a lawn maintenance supervisor said when I was living in Ohio. I owned a 100 year old farm house and used it for my business and residence, which I could because of the way zoning had been done for that portion of the township.
I had just purchased it and was trying to get the outside yard area presentable so it was attractive to prospective customers as they came to buy what was on offer in my gallery. There was a huge ant dome on the side of the front porch near the raised flower bed and I was reluctant to use chemicals because of its location. Too easy for any pets walking by and of course children playing in the neighborhood area.
It took me 3-4 runs with the boiling water before I finally was able to eliminate it. Must have been there for years before I purchased the place so it was pretty large.