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The Ultimate Guide: Keep Ants Away from Your Sugar Jar with a Spoon

The following tips will swiftly teach you how to banish those ants from your sugar bowl for good.

1 September, 2024

– Using a spoon, chopsticks, or a long stick: Insert a spoon, chopsticks, or a long stick into the sugar jar. Ants will climb onto it to escape. Simply remove the utensil, shake off the ants, and repeat this process until the jar is ant-free.

Using a spoon or chopsticks to drive ants away from the sugar jar.

– Submerging the sugar jar in water: This traditional method involves filling a basin with water and placing the open sugar jar in it for several hours. As ants try to escape with their food, they will fall into the water and drown.

– Utilizing strong-scented spices: Ants are sensitive to strong scents. Place spices like cinnamon, cloves, pepper, garlic, or bay leaves in the sugar jar and wait for an hour. The ants will be repelled by the scent and move elsewhere. These spices won’t affect the sugar’s quality immediately, but it’s best not to leave them in for too long to prevent any flavor transfer or moisture buildup.

– Sun exposure: Prepare a tray and spread the sugar on it. Place the tray in direct sunlight until the heat drives the ants away.

– Heat treatment: If there’s no sun, you can heat the sugar jar gently to get rid of the ants. Turn on the gas stove to high heat for 20 seconds, then place the open glass sugar jar on the warm stove. The residual heat will drive away the ants without killing them inside the jar. Be careful not to use excessive heat to avoid burning the sugar or harming the ants.

Frequently asked questions

Place a spoon in the sugar jar. Ants are repelled by the smooth, curved surfaces of spoons, which they find difficult to climb.

The curved surface of a spoon creates a barrier that ants cannot easily cross. They may be able to climb up the side of a jar, but the smooth, rounded edge of the spoon provides a challenge they cannot overcome.

Any type of spoon will work, though a larger spoon with a longer handle may provide more coverage and be more effective at keeping ants out.

Place the spoon directly in the sugar jar, with the curved part of the spoon facing upwards. Make sure the sugar level is below the edge of the spoon to prevent ants from accessing it.

This method is specifically effective for ants due to their size and climbing abilities. However, it may also deter other small insects from accessing your sugar or similar stored foods.