Ants are stubborn small creatures that invade houses and make our lives unbearable. Their main target is usually the bathroom since it is moist and facilitates their living. But that’s not the only reason ants invade our homes—they are also attracted to urine in the bathroom.
But why are ants attracted to urine? This question and how to deter ants from your bathroom are carefully researched and available in this post to make your life easier. Let’s cut to the chase.
Do Ants Like Urine?
Ants are attracted to urine because it contains glucose. This was according to the observation of most Indian physicians when they were conducting subsequent research on patients who had perennial urination challenges. However, some would argue that this finding is deeply rooted in diabetes history.
Similarly, around 2500 B.C, there were also Egyptians who made notice of the perennial urine challenge. But later, the issue was clarified as the condition was identified as class 1 diabetes.
When you have class 1 diabetes, your body cannot facilitate sugar or glucose transportation to the cells urgently required; instead, the glucose is confined in the blood.
Why Are Ants Attracted to Urine?
Ants are generally attracted by large quantities of glucose found in urine when the kidneys are not functioning correctly. This mainly happens when humans’ blood sugar levels stay up for an extended period, leading to some body parts like the kidney getting damaged.
Ants’ fondness for pee puts them on the map as their unique taste, and great relish for urine plays a vital role in managing greenhouse gases. Ants’ enjoyment of urine more than sugar has been proven by the Kangaroo Island research, which makes them unique.
As it is, numerous ant species are enchanted and charmed by urine, and there’s no going back. Specifically, the glucose in the urine is the determinant factor as to why ants may crowd in your bathroom.
That is to say, that some of us, especially those with diabetes mellitus, produce urine that holds high sugar content that appeals to these tiny insects. The same way we use food is how ants use glucose or sugar for energy and productivity.
Perhaps if you have run into ants enjoying your pee, but you haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, then you have to seek a medical check-up and consultation immediately. The problem could be that glucose in your body is not regulated correctly since your kidneys are not functioning efficiently.
Even though the thought of being diabetic might be unbearable, it’s a blessing in disguise for ants as they depend on the sugar in your pee for survival.
What Else Attracts Them to the Bathroom?
Besides sugar or glucose in the urine, ants are also attracted to bathrooms because it’s a relaxed and suitable environment for them to live in. Most of our bathrooms are damp, which is a significant determinant factor for carpenter ants to build a community.
Even though we might not know this, our bathrooms have three necessities: water, shelter, and food that ants require to live a peaceful life. The situation becomes more serious when most ants thrive in moist conditions rotting furniture or wood.
Apart from your bathroom being an essential element to their livelihood, ants might also escape extreme conditions like rain and wet surfaces. Ants are specialists in identifying small cracks in ventilation ducts and walls and so sneaking into your house isn’t a challenge to them.
a) Shower Items
Soaps, fragrant shampoos, and other shower items you may have could also be inviting and attracting ants into your bathroom. This means that you have to close bottle tops to avoid an arm of ants raiding your bathroom. Similarly, avoid leaving lotion or shampoo residue on the bathroom tops as it also enchants ants.
However, some drinks, foods, food leftovers, and toothpaste could also be leading an army of ants to your homestead. This might also attract some stubborn insects I’m sure you don’t want to deal with. To avoid this situation, store your food and drinks well and ensure you dispose of food leftovers properly.
b) Objects Outside Your Bathroom
If you stay where there are trees, bushes, and stumps, that could be why you have ants in your bathroom and many spots in your house. Also, note that soil, mulch, firewood, and other natural components contribute to why ants raid your house. Find a way of trimming your bushes and generally keeping your home environment tidy.
Even though the leading ant attracting elements are in the bathroom, namely shower products and urine with glucose, the mentioned factors like bushes and trees play a critical attracting and enticing role. Narrow openings in the walls and windows of your bathroom are the entry points ants use to seek food, water, and shelter.
What Are Ants More Attracted To?
Generally, anything that has high sugar or glucose content fascinates ants. Similarly, ants are fond of scoping out substances like honey, jelly, syrup, juices, and candy. So to avoid ants attack your home, clean up any sugary substance you might have dropped or left uncovered.
1. Food Sources
Like humans, ants find joy in any food substance they come across as their energy source. It’s hard to think of any human food that ants will go past without a bite, especially sweet or sugary foods—however, there are numerous types of ants like syrup, honey, candy, and jelly.
It’s unlikely to find households where sugary foods don’t spill in the countertops, which attract ants and other stubborn insects. When one or two ants interact with the spilled food, they leave a scent trail that attracts other ants, and soon, there will be a massive infestation.
2. Water Or Moisture
Water or moisture is also essential to ants as it goes together with food and shelter as one of their basic survival needs. Apart from quenching their thirst, ants also store water for future use. When these small insects spot a water source, they camp there and leave scent trails to attract their friends.
Roof leaks, potted plants, and broken pipes are significant sources of ants’ attraction as these kinds of areas are likely to contain moisture. When you have a fan in the bathroom or open the windows, you can regulate moisture build-up, solving your ant’s situation.
3. Plants And Flowers
Even though ants don’t chew on house plants, that doesn’t mean they don’t like being near them. Biologically, ants and other insects are attracted to flowers due to their enriching scent or sweet fragrance. Moreover, most flowers are dumped and therefore attract ants due to their moisture.
Other insects that indoor plants entice include aphids which sometimes leave a residue that charm ant. Even though ants don’t use plants and flowers as food, they cause damage to the plant’s health which interferes with their lifespan. Ants are capable of damaging your home structure as they come in large numbers. Some even inflict pain by biting through your skin.
How Do I Keep Ants Out of the Bathroom?
1. Replace Broken Tiles
To deter ants from your bathroom, replace broken or cracked tiles. This will be helpful as ants are tiny creatures that mainly depend on small cracks to march their way into your home and, eventually, your bathroom. Ensure you regularly maintain your house and bathroom to prevent future ant problems.
2. Do Away With any Stagnant Water
Another method is to desist from letting water sit on your bathroom floor for long hours, especially after taking a shower. Wiping the floor will deter ants from viewing your bathroom as a possible breeding ground. Similarly, wash the bathroom mat or replace it after some time.
3. Unclog Your Drains
When you’re done taking a bath, it’s expected that your bathroom will clog with skin debris and hair. This is a perfect spot and situation ants like to take advantage of and make it their home. Therefore, unclogging and cleaning your bathroom is essential to get rid of or prevent ants from attacking.
4. Always Keep Your Bathroom Clean
The fundamental way or method to restrict and deter ants from infesting your bathroom is to ensure it’s always sparkling clean. Once you deny them or cut off their source of water, you’ll have won against ants.
Clean the water regularly, block the holes and cracks and ensure the tiles at the back of the toilet bowl are also cleaned to reduce chances of ants in your bathroom. Similarly, clean and throw away the garbage.
5. Leverage Non-Hazardous Solutions
For low ants infestation, a non-hazardous solution will help control ants’ migration into your bathroom. But if the problem is not containable or there are too many ants, then non-hazardous solutions will not do much for you.
Cleaning your house, especially with powerful essential oils or vinegar, is a great way to stop ants from creating a base in your bathroom. Similarly, lemon and cayenne pepper can also trick when you put them in the cracks and holes ants use.
However, some of these solutions may not work if you’re dealing with a large number of some types of ants. Some of us have tried using mint, black pepper, and chili to solve our ant problem. Even though these methods work, they don’t kill the ants.
6. Try the Hazardous Solutions
Even though using hazardous solutions can effectively solve your ant solution, it can also worsen the situation if these tiny insects happen to like the spices or oils you use. Therefore, if you notice your methods are not working, it would be vital to call a professional to help you out.
Likewise, avoid spraying insecticides indoors when you’ve not consulted a professional to stop further damage. But outdoors, you can use insecticides to deal with ants.
Other Ways to Get Rid of Ants
Perhaps you’ve tried various methods to restrict ants from entering your house, but it hasn’t mainly worked for you then; the next step is to get rid of these tiny insects for good. Even though it might not be possible to destroy all ants, you can significantly reduce their number.
a) Use Ant Killer Products
The standard method to deal with ants is physically destroying them by using ant killer products. Visit stores, and you’ll notice there is a variety of insect-killing or anti-insect products that will work well for you so that you forget about ants once and for all.
Silicon dioxide is a famous anti-insect product as it sucks oil out of ants, leaving them to dry out. It isn’t poison, but it’s a very dangerous inhalant for ants. So if you want a fast way to deal with ants, use diatomaceous earth(silicon dioxide).
b) Get Rid of Ant Hills
To deal with ant hill, get rid of the anthills as it’s a place where most of these tiny creatures stay and cause you sleepless nights. This is an ideal start because ants normally don’t live alone, and hence you can get rid of them in one or two attempts.
Similarly, ants can’t survive and stand boiling water, especially when you combine it with a little bit of detergent. This means you can use boiling water mixed with detergent to kill ants by pouring it on the anthills. You can also pour cider vinegar to solve your ant nightmare.
What are the Most Common Ants in the Bathroom?
a) Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are enormous when you compare them with other ants like Argentine ants. They are close to an inch, and they love damp environments and cold places and have their homes in the woods most of the time. Many carpenter ants can cause severe damage to property the same way termites are a menace.
b) Argentine Ants
Argentine ants like to travel in groups, and their favorite destination is typically wet or moist environments where there is food for them to feed on. These ants are found in bathrooms because of the wet conditions. Even though they are not a direct threat to our health, ants can still contaminate food and make your house smelly.
c) Sugar Ants
Sugar ants is a general term that is used to describe different types of ants that like glucose. Just like the name, sugar ants are mainly attracted by sugar or glucose. These tiny insects are found in bathrooms because of glucose in your urine, mainly when your kidney isn’t functioning correctly.
d) Moisture Ants
Moisture ants are yellow and long small insects that make their homes or nest in high humidity areas. Whenever you come across them in your bathroom, it means that you have plumbing problems you need to take care of.
Bottom Line
There’s no doubt that ants are attracted to urine due to the availability of glucose in it. But that’s not all—things like bathroom soaps, lotions, shampoos, and even wet surfaces are attractive elements ants like. However, the methods above will help you control or deter ants from your house and bathroom without breaking a sweat.