Which Foods Attract Ants in the Kitchen Most?

Ants can be a pain to get rid of. Once they find a way into your home, they’re challenging to get rid of. This is especially so if you don’t know what brought them into your home in the first place. Unfortunately, these common household pests are pesky and resilient, so if you want to get rid of them, you’ll have to know what’s attracting them in the first place.

Ant pest control will certainly help you get rid of your ant infestation, but it won’t be able to prevent ants from returning if you keep leaving the food that originally brought them in lying around your home.

Foods That Attract Ants in the Kitchen

Your kitchen is full of all kinds of food that could attract pests, but ants will be drawn in by some types of food more than others. If you have an ant problem, you’ll want to check your kitchen for the problem foods listed below.

Candy

Everyone loves candy: kids, adults, and ants. Ants love sugary foods, and candy is at the top of their list when it comes to tasty treats. So if you have a lot of candy lying around your kitchen, then it’s highly likely that this is what’s attracting your unwanted guests.

Candy includes more than just KitKats, Reeses, and other popular candy bars. Anything full of sugar is just as attractive to ants: cake, juice, fruit, and other sugar-filled things. Any of the above should be kept in an airtight container so ants can’t get into it.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are ants’ favorite meal. Whether it’s crackers, bread, chips, cereal, oats, or even pet food, ants will love diving into any carbohydrates that you’ve left lying around. Even when they’re tucked away in your cupboard, ants are great at finding carbohydrates.

Make sure any carb-filled treats are well packaged so ants can’t get into them and start feasting. Once they’ve found a supply of carbohydrates, it’ll be hard to convince them to leave.

Greasy Proteins

Everyone loves greasy finger food and delicious proteins, so it’s no surprise if you’ve got some lying around your kitchen. Unfortunately, ants love greasy proteins and will search your kitchen to find them.

Leaving fast food wrappers out can be enough to draw in the ants, even if the meal itself is long since gone. So as soon as you’re finished with your takeout, be sure to throw the wrapper away before it starts to attract those pests. 

Similarly, if you cook something with lots of fat, grease, or protein, make sure that you clean all pots and pans right away. Leftover fat and grease smells delicious to ants, and they won’t be turned away just because the pan is waiting to be washed in the sink. 

Instead of leaving it overnight, wash it right away so that ants don’t have the chance to find it and start feasting.

Meat

You should be careful how you store meat anyway, but know that ants aren’t above a carnivorous meal. They’ll happily chew on meats of all kinds. To avoid attracting ants, be sure to clean up any little meat pieces that fall on the floor and wash up all pots, pans, and surfaces where meat has been cooked or eaten.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is an ant’s favorite treat. Not only is it sweet and sugary, but it has lots of fat and protein. Ants will go crazy over peanut butter, which means you’ll want to keep your jar clean and well-sealed.

Call Drake Pest To Tackle Your Ant Infestation

Ants are an incredibly frustrating pest to get rid of, and they’re attracted by many different foods commonly found in your kitchen. As you won’t be able to avoid buying these foods, you’ll need to ensure that they are all well sealed and that you clean up any surfaces with which these foods come into contact. That’s your best bet at avoiding an ant issue and preventing these pesky pests from returning.