What do ants eat?

Like us, they love food and water (species may vary)

Ants like to eat a lot of food that humans do: potato chips, bread, jelly, and sugar. They may also eat other insects. Anything you can do to remove exposed human and animal food, clean up spills, and seal or take out the trash can help mitigate your ant problem.

Call in the Clean Up Crew

5 Ways to Remove Ants

Clean up food and drink spills right away
Store all food in sealed, airtight Ziploc® containers
Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink
Wipe down sticky jars of things like honey or jam before placing them in the pantry
Regularly sweep and mop floors, especially in the kitchen and dining room

Did you know?

Outdoors, plant-feeding insects such as aphids produce a sticky substance that many ants eat. This substance may be found on the leaf itself, or any surfaces under it such as outdoor furniture, cars, picnic tables, the deck, or siding. Cleaning these surfaces can reduce attractiveness to ants.

Start a Drought to Keep Ants Out

Ants are as attracted to water as they are to food, so it’s important to keep surfaces in your home dry–including sinks!

Tiny Trailblazers

When one ant finds food or water, they will lay down a chemical trail that guides other worker ants to the source—you will see trails of ants going back and forth from the food or water.

Expert Tip

Animal Food is Ant Food

Because ants will feast on animal food, it’s important to keep kibble in pet dishes only when pets are feeding on it. If that’s not realistic, try placing pet food bowls in a slightly larger bowl that has been filled with water. By doing so, you’ll create a moat that ants can’t easily cross.

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