Don't waste your sugar, do this instead
1. Use long sticks or chopsticks to lure ants
If there are many ants in the sugar jar, take a few chopsticks and stick them deep into the bottom of the jar to get the ants out. Wait until the ants are all over the chopsticks, then lift the chopsticks out and shake off all the ants. Do this until there are no more ants in the jar. Alternatively, you can lean the chopsticks against something so the ants can crawl out on their own.
2. Use a stainless steel spoon
Another way to get ants out of the sugar jar that you can apply is to use a stainless steel spoon. Use a stainless steel spoon to stick it deep into the bottom of the sugar jar, making sure the spoon touches the bottom of the jar. Leave it for a few minutes for the ants to crawl up the spoon.
When the spoon is covered with ants, gently lift it out of the jar and turn the spoon upside down on a paper towel or dish towel. Repeat until there are no more ants in the jar. Use a paper towel or dish towel to gently tap the spoon to remove the ants on the spoon. Wipe the sugar jar clean and close the lid tightly.
3. Pour sugar on paper to chase ants away
With this method, you pour sugar on a clean piece of paper or newspaper. Then you put it in a dry, airy place for the ants to crawl out. Wait until the ants have crawled out, then pour the sugar back into the jar.
4. Take the sugar jar out into the strong sunlight
Ants are very afraid of strong sunlight. Therefore, when the ants crawl into the sugar jar, open the lid and bring it out into the sun for about 10 minutes. Surely this way of chasing ants out of the sugar will surprise you when you come back to check.
How to prevent ants from returning to the sugar jar
In addition to how to chase ants out of the sugar, you also need to know how to prevent ants from returning to the sugar jar as follows:
1. Keep clean
You need to keep the area around the sugar jar clean and dry. Clean the sugar jar regularly to remove leftover food and dirt. Store the sugar jar in a sealed box or glass jar with a tight lid.
2. Use natural ingredients
- Using natural ingredients to lure ants away from the sugar jar such as:
Lemon, tangerine, orange peels: Place lemon, tangerine or orange peels around the sugar jar. The scent of citrus peels will keep ants away.
Garlic: Cut a few cloves of garlic into thin slices and place them in the sugar jar. The pungent smell of garlic also repels ants.
Perilla leaves: Place a few fresh sprigs of perilla in the sugar jar. Perilla has a pungent smell that ants do not like.
Chili: Sprinkle some chili powder or place a few fresh chili peppers around the sugar jar. Chili has a pungent taste that makes ants uncomfortable and leave.
Use items
- Rubber ring: Wrap a rubber ring around the mouth of the sugar jar. Ants cannot cling to the rubber to climb up the jar.
- Baby powder: Sprinkle some baby powder around the sugar jar. The powder will disorient the ants and make them leave.
- Shampoo: Dilute shampoo with water and apply it to the sugar jar. Shampoo has a scent that ants do not like.
- Use ant traps
Ant trap with sugar water: Dilute sugar with water and place it in a small dish. Ants will be attracted by the smell of sugar and crawl into the dish. Then, you can take the ant dish outside and kill them.
Ant trap with borax: Mix borax with sugar and flour in a 1:1:1 ratio. Shape the mixture into small balls and place them around the sugar jar. Ants will eat the bait and die.
