# Are Ants Attracted to Artificial Sweets?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 4, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000 "2003-08-04T23:20:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000/1 "2003-08-04T23:20:05Z")

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I have to wonder if sugar draws ants…will artificial sweeteners and artificially-sweetened foods draw ants equally well? Or, do such foods just seem sweet to us? - Jinx

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**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000/2 "2003-08-04T23:42:32Z")

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i would assume yes, if it was just sitting somewhere…, and when dissolved in something, yes… aren’t ants attracted to any food source? i don’t know how much they value it as a food source though

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**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000/3 "2003-08-04T23:45:48Z")

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[Apparently not](http://www.cyfernet.org/cybercamp/messhall.html)

Excellent question though. Seeing thread titles like that are little “SDMB moments” for me. 🙂

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ants-attracted-to-artificial-sweets/193000/4 "2003-08-05T00:01:16Z")

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So here’s a really well-thought-out answer.  
Not to Equal, I know. At least not my ants.  
Aren’t some “grease” ants, and some “sweets” ants? I’m not at all sure _where_ I got that idea. 😛  
Peace,  
mangeorge