Sugar Ants and Twinkie Withdrawal

Sugar granules. Interstate Pest Management serving Portland OR & Vancouver WA talks about sugar ants and Twinkie withdrawal.

When Twinkies became scarce, 200 trillion sugar ants began a long painful withdrawal. Twinkies aren’t the only sugary snack available to junk food addicts but their iconic mixture of yellow cake infused with a sugary caulk are difficult to replace. Even the sugar ants have had to adjust. They seem just a little more aggressive and determined, as if they aren’t sure when their next staple will fall victim to corporate failure.

This means war

What’s next? Oreos? Snickers? Pop Tarts? The sugar ants aren’t taking any chances; get ready for the invasion.

Sugar ants eat more than just sugar, but so do you. They like protein from dead caterpillars or the sweet milk they harvest from aphids. These take a little work and of course, they are healthy, but face it, they aren’t Cap’n Crunch.

During their Twinkie withdrawal, it almost appears that sugar ants are moving faster than ever before. They will squeeze through any crack and march single file into your home on their quest for something more than aphid slime.

Do you think those powdered mini-donuts are safe on your kitchen table? From the time you set them out for your kids until they actually get out of bed, the donuts are covered in little black sprinkles that move around. That’s fast. Time to rethink your kitchen policy?

How to ant-proof your home

One of the best ways to ant-proof your home is to become OCD on cleanliness. (not to make light of people who suffer with OCD) You may think this works and in part it does. But most people aren’t aware that ants can read. They send a few scouts into your pantry and take an inventory by reading the labels. They send messages back to the colony instructing which boxes will yield the sweetest treat.

What happens is the next time you pick up that new box of Frosted Flakes it will seem very light and you might notice a fine powder leaking out the bottom through a tiny hole created chewed into the corner. Go ahead and pour some flakes in a bowl. Look! Your cereal is alive. Yum.

As far as do-it-yourself methods go, sugar ants think they are a great idea. Several soldiers may march right into your trap or eat your poison. They will then reel over and play dead while the rest of the colony laughs at your efforts. Some may even die, just to fool you.

Now what?

Just how far will you go to win this war over your pantry? This isn’t a trick question. It shouldn’t be a surprise that professionals like Interstate Pest Control know how to take back your pantry, kitchen, and dining room. They are full-time mercenaries for hire to rid your home of sugar ants and other pests for good. And it isn’t guesswork.

They don’t negotiate with the ants either. They use eco-friendly products that are easy on your home but not on ants. They send them to ant heaven where Twinkies exist for as far as the antennae can sense.