Ants are common insects and are seen on plants regularly. The ants are important for the soil as they help break down the substances and accelerate decomposition. However, the excess ants can damage the plants and can also make way into the house, which can cause various infections.
The ants are attracted by coconut oil and can be used to keep ants away from the garden and home. So, let’s see if coconut oil can attract the ants or not.
Do Ants Like Coconut Oil
The ants are attracted by sugary and greasy food sources as they are abundant in carbohydrates. For this reason, if you want to prevent an ant infestation, it’s important to keep the garden grease-free.
As far as coconut oil is concerned, it has a slightly sweet flavor and is greasy, which is why the ants are attracted to coconut oil.
In most cases, the ants attack the flower and fruit-based plants because they are sweet – similarly, the sweet flavor and aroma of the coconut oil attract the ants.
Coconut oil can attract the ants since it has a strong smell and the ants can smell it, given their strong smelling capabilities. The strong smell can trigger the ants’ smell receptors.
In addition, coconut oil has a higher fat content, and ants consume the fat content to store it as energy for the winter season, especially when they aren’t able to collect food because of extremely low temperatures.
Coconut oil is a primary source of fat for ants as it provides both unsaturated and saturated fatty acids.
In addition to coconut oil, any food source that’s rich in protein and fat can attract ants. The ants prefer consuming nutrients that provide instant energy and help them store energy for future use, which is another reason ants are attracted to coconut oil.
What Kind Of Ants Does Coconut Oil Attract?
The Tapinoma and Dolichoderus ant species are most attracted to coconut oil. Other greasy ants can be found on the greasy surface, especially where there are coconut oil stains. Also, if you have virgin coconut oil, it will attract the sugar ants as it has a sweeter smell.
Using Coconut Oil To Repel Ants
Since coconut oil attracts ants, many people wonder if they can use coconut oil to repel the ants. It is possible but you have to mix some boric acid or other toxic ingredients in the coconut oil to make sure the ants die when they consume coconut oil.
How To Keep Ants Away From Coconut Oil?
If you keep coconut oil at home and are worried about attracting the ants, you have to follow some preventive measures to keep them away, such as;
- Covering The Food
In case you use coconut oil to cook food or add it as a topping on the food, make sure you cover the food items to make sure the coconut oil smell doesn’t spread in the home (the ants are attracted by the sweet smell of coconut oil).
- Clean The Grease
If you used coconut oil and you have dropped some or the surface has become greasy, make sure you clean them because a single drop of coconut oil is enough to attract the ants.
- Use Sealed Containers
Always store the coconut oil in well-sealed containers or airtight jars as they can contain the sweet smell of coconut oil. In addition, you should spread some baking soda around the container as it can kill the ants if they consume it.
The Bottom Line
The ants are attracted to coconut oil, particularly Tapinoma and Dolichoderus species.
On the other hand, virgin coconut oil attracts sugar ants, which is why you should keep the coconut oil in sealed containers and cover the food that has coconut oil in it. Also, you can mix some boric acid in coconut to make an insect killer!