I strongly recommend Terro Ant Bait, the prefilled plastic station. Read and follow instructions and do not use around animals that may want to eat the sugary bait.

it would be helpful to know what annuals you are talking about ..

many can easily be rotted by cuttings... and it would be much easier to root a few new pieces into new pots with new soil... and just avoid the issue all around ...

but even those might be very hard to grow as houseplants .... usually there is not enough sunlight thru windows to do this easily.. and supplemental light would really help ... [remind us where she is.. big city name]

if you want to discuss such... give us a list ...

in the alternative.. dump them all.. clean the pots for winter.. and gift her a couple houseplants for xmas or thxgvng ...

trust me when i say ... bringing bugs into the house for winter.. can be a giant PIA ... been there.. done that ... never again ... i used to treat the media in pots with systemic bug granules in early sept.. so the pots would come in the house clean a month later .... but i wasnt messing with ants ... but i hope you get my point ...

ken

She has an impatien that has gone in and out several seasons already. Also a geranium and a lavender.

Could she just repot them? Dump the pot, shake the soil off the roots, and replant in new soil in the cleaned-out pots? Put the old soil on the ground somewhere and let the ants do their thing lol.

:)
Dee