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You probably have had this happen to you hundreds of times. You left behind some crumbs or particles of sugar and minutes later they are swarmed by a seething mass of tiny black ants. These are known as banded ants or sugar ants. They are native to Australia although commonly any ant that has an affinity for sugary stuff is typically called a sugar ant.

You will notice them traveling in a line, a long line at that, from their point of origin to congregate at the point where the sugar spill has occurred. Some of them can even be seen carrying the sugar particles away from the counter top.

Why do sugar ants love sugar?

Because the sugar is high in carbohydrates it is a favorite for ants which need it to grow and reproduce.  but sugar is not their only staple. If they come across dead insects or small animals or even plants they consume that as well.

Any spillage of sugar or a dead insect will attract ants within seconds because they possess five times more developed smell receptors compared to other insects. Because of this an ant out foraging for food will sniff out the smell of sugar within record time. This is why it is important to keep your sugar bowl closes otherwise you will find them milling around in the sugar bowl.

Leaving traces of food on the counter like crumbs of brad after making a sandwich or bits of cereal will definitely attract sugar ants to your space.

How to get of sugar ants

Perhaps the primary approach for anyone who has experienced sugar ants in their home is preventing them from gaining entry.  An infestation of sugar ants all over the house can be quite a challenge to mitigate. Prevent them from coming in in the first place by keeping the kitchen clean. Cover foods and wipe surfaces used for preparing food like the kitchen counter top.

Also clear dishes and wash them so that sugar ants don’t have a source of food. Leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen is bound to attract them in droves.

If you have a major infestation you can consider calling a pest control expert to eliminate them and destroy their nest. Of course there are home remedies like using coffee grounds in the house which keeps ants away because they hate the scent of coffee and its acidity burns them. Also, you can use another home remedy like vinegar which is also quite acidic in nature and has a pungent smell.

However, never use poison in the home to exterminate ants because they tend to find their way into your food and they can easy contaminate our food. Plus since you aren’t a professional in handling such materials you can unknowingly contaminate other places in the house putting your loved ones at risk.