Can Coke Kill Ants?

Gardeners are always looking for cheap ways to kill ants, preferably with something they can find in their homes that’s unlikely to harm other animals or plants. Many people have found surprising ways to kill ants but what about coke? Can coke kill ants or not?

Yes, coke can kill ants and can be used successfully as an insecticide. Coke will kill other pests, besides ants, such as slugs too.

It comes as a surprise to people when they find out that coke can kill ants. After all, you wouldn’t think that something you enjoy drinking could be so lethal.

But why can coke kill ants? How does it work? And how should you go about using coke in the garden?

Are Ants Attracted to Coke?

You may wonder if coke kills ants, then are they even attracted to it?

Ants love sweet things and are attracted to anything with a high sugar content. If you leave anything sweet out in the open, you will notice that it will soon attract a cluster of ants.

Therefore, it is only natural that ants are attracted to coke because of its sugar. 

Coke comes in more than one form, which includes diet coke. However, ants are only attracted to regular coke and not diet coke.

The reason why ants are not attracted to diet coke is that they are less attracted to artificial sweeteners. Ants can sense the artificial sweetener in the diet coke and only go for the classic one. 

Do Ants Like Other Soft Drinks?

Ants are attracted to soft drinks that smell strong and are sweet, of course. Since the majority of soft drinks are sweet, ants are attracted to pretty much all of them.

Ants seem particularly attracted to Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Lilt and Tango. But, in reality, if it contains a chunk of sugar then ants will love it.  

Remember, however, that much like diet coke the diet versions of the drinks above will not be attractive to ants.

In essence, ants do not like artificial sugars in drinks or food. Therefore, if you ever spill a diet soda, chances are it will not attract ants.

How Does Coke Kill Ants?

While the coke company itself does not agree that it can kill ants, gardeners beg to differ. Many gardeners have been using coke as an easy homemade pesticide because it is a cheap option, and also, although it is not natural, it is still not as harmful as traditional pesticides. 

So why does it end up killing ants? Ants are attracted to coke because it is sweet. Since ants love sugar, they love coke. However, coke is an acidic drink packed full of chemicals.

This cocktail of acid, chemicals and caffeine is what is believed to be the cause for coke killing ants.

How to Use Coke to Kill Ants

The easiest method to use coke to kill ants is to put it in a spray bottle. You can spray the coke on any ant trails you find. If there are multiple ant trails, you should spray on them all.

However, if you do not have any ant trails but notice a few ants, you can spray coke in a corner, and it will automatically attract ants towards it. 

An effective way to deal with the ant problem is to look for the nest. You can look for the nest by following the ant trails and then pouring coke onto the nest to kill the ants.

By this method, you can also kill the ant queen who is usually inside the nest. If you get the ant queen, the ants will disappear in a month or two completely.

What Other Home Remedies Kill Ants

Coke is not the only home remedy that people use to kill ants. Fortunately, you can use home remedies like coke to kill ants if you are on a budget. 

One most effective way to kill ants is to use borax. Many people confuse borax for boric acid; however, they are different. You can mix borax with food items like powdered sugar and maple syrup to attract ants.

Once ants ingest the food spiked with borax, they will die. 

You can also use baking soda to kill ants. Baking soda, when ingested, will react with the acid in the ant’s stomach and kill them. Like borax, you can mix baking soda with powdered sugar and sprinkle it to attract ants. 

Other remedies for killing ants include using white vinegar, which you can spray on ant trails to kill them. You can also use coffee or citrus to repel ants. 

Summary 

It comes as a surprise to people when they find that coke can kill ants. Coke attracts ants because it is sweet. However, the acid in the drink is too strong for the ants, and they die.

While ants are attracted to coke, they are not attracted to diet coke. The reason behind this is that ants only like naturally derived sugars.

You can spray coke in areas where you spot any ants or find the nest and spray it with coke. In addition, you can also use baking soda and vinegar to kill ants.