Feeding the Ants

I lost the battle to ants this year - I couldn't beat them so I joined them! I "fed" my ants all summer and they left me alone. I took an old plastic butter container lid poured pancake syrup, or sugar syrup on it and placed it on the floor beside my dishwasher and out of the way. As long as this was there the ants stayed off my counters and out of my stuff. I knew it needed refilled when I would see them again. Sometimes I'd mix in yeast with the syrups, but that only took care of the big ones, the little sugar ants just hung out at the lid. I think this idea is basically what the little ant hotels are.

By Melanie

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By 06/22/2010

I used sugar and borax in some water. Takes about three days and no more ants. I plan to also try borax and grease. If I can think of what to mix with the borax, I will go after the wood ants next.

By Cie (Guest Post) 04/19/2008

Our ants come in every spring looking for food and water. I give them water and honey in shallow plastic lids, and when there's a scrap of meat, I leave it for them. They don't bother us at all; we enjoy watching them. They always leave around the time of the first frost. Remember, folks: when you poison ants, you poison part of the food chain. The honeybees are becoming extinct because of too much insect poison and herbicides.

By pikiviki (Guest Post) 02/15/2008

To get rid of sugar ants mix together sugar, boric acid and water and pour it into the lids from milk jugs and place it where you have the ant problem. Should get rid of the ants in 2 -3 days. Keep checking the lids and keep them full until you see no more ants.

By Aja (Guest Post) 08/27/2007

Feeding the ants didn't work at my house. It just exacerbated the problem. Now we have ants in the garbage can and coming in from all parts of the house. They're even in places where there isn't food (like the laundry room, dresser drawers, and even in the iron)! My fiance says it's because they're scouting for more sources of food.

By 11/30/2004

Glad to know I'm not alone:) I did this too, My husband thought I went nuts! but it works It
kept them out of my cabinets an off my counters:)

By Bert (Guest Post) 11/30/2004

I had a friend who didn't want her ants in the house at all, so she fed them outside. They never came inside. She fed them sugar for the sweeteaters & bacon grease for the fat & meat eaters.