I remember in my childhood that my mother used to block the places where ants wanted to come in from with cinnamon. It burns their little feelers (aka antennae.) It also makes a mess and is not cost-effective.
I find that the best way to avoid ant colonization of your home is to clean up. If you find what they're eating and remove it, they will decide your house is uninteresting. You may have scouts, but those scouts can be killed individually.
Incidentally, don't wipe out the scent trail unless you wipe it and all its travellers out completely from entrance to food. Otherwise you will have confused, orphaned ants walking around your house for days.