# I drank water with dead ants in it: how bad is this for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925 "2003-08-18T06:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/21 "2003-08-18T23:58:49Z")
Thanks for the commentary, everybody. In an interesting coincidence, I did contract some sort of horrendous gastrointestinal virus and have spent most of today either lying on the couch wishing I would throw up already, or running to the bathroom to throw up. However, MrWhatsit had the same problem yesterday, and did not (to his recollection) ingest any ants, dead or otherwise, so I think it’s unrelated. For the record, the ants in question were pharaoh ants, which as far as I know are not poisonous, and the means of demise was falling into the glass of water. I will not be going so far as to throw a couple ants into my water glass in the future in order to provide “roughage”, but I think I will not worry about it much either. ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/22 "2003-08-19T00:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*Get real. The composition I gave was purely in terms of cell count. And if you want to find a citation for gastroenteritis caused by _E. coli_ from ingested ants, go right ahead. Then we’ll discuss it further. \*\* It is fairly well established that [houseflies spread H. Pylori](http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9708/28/nfm.flies.ulcers/), so the idea that ants could spread other harmful stuff is not outlandish. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/23 "2003-08-19T01:36:04Z")
One day when I was slacking and watching the discovery channel I saw a program about insects that stated if it weren’t for the taste, ants would be considered nature’s popcorn. Just thought I would share, I found it funny at the time. ---
**Author:** ![irshu355](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@irshu355](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irshu355)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/24 "2016-02-25T03:51:55Z")
My cubicle mug has lots of ant in it when i come for work in the morning. I just filter out them and drink the water. Been doing it for 3 years, and i’m seems to be doing great. I’m a lot fit now (well, i dont think the ant water had anything to do with it, though) 🙂 I also heard, eating ants are good for eyes, i dont know how scientifically accurate that is. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/25 "2016-02-25T04:02:21Z")
Do you have an urge to go to a picnic? ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/26 "2016-02-25T04:11:43Z")
Zombie ants. Great. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/27 "2016-02-25T05:01:38Z")
I was going to make a Pink Panther joke until I noticed **panache45** beat me to it by 13 years! ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/28 "2016-02-26T15:25:08Z")
Zombie or not, since the OP there has been a [staff report](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2246/are-ants-disease-carriers) on the subject. Here’s a germane quote from that report: > [@](#): > > We’d be lucky if we were as sterile and disease-free as an ant. Ants almost never get sick compared to humans. You introduce far deadlier microbes into your body simply by using two unwashed fingers to touch your cookies than would a million ants. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/29 "2016-02-26T18:20:45Z")
You could market that stuff as protein water. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/30 "2016-02-26T18:54:13Z")
The OP last posted back in October, so she survived. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/31 "2016-02-26T21:28:08Z")
There is a story that Ozzy Osbourne snorted a line of ants. He is still perfectly normal. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/32 "2016-02-27T02:34:42Z")
Ate some termites on a recent vacation. Yeah, not ants, and these were live, free-range beasts plucked off the nest, but never crossed my mind there would be a problem. Don’t many processed foods have acceptable limits of insect parts? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/33 "2016-02-27T04:37:19Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Zombie ants. Great. [For those who might not know yet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_unilateralis). ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/34 "2016-02-27T15:31:28Z")
When I was a kid in Africa and the flying ants swarmed, we used to collect scoops of them, fry them and eat them. For years I thought they tasted like peanuts (except with a bit of a sour tang) until I realised we’d been frying them in peanut oil. ---
**Author:** ![wanderer2575](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@wanderer2575](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wanderer2575)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/35 "2016-02-29T22:52:51Z")
Dave Barry would suggest a marketing campaign: Now With Extra Protein! ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/36 "2016-02-29T23:32:19Z")
There is also this [zombie ant](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080117-ant-berries.html). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/37 "2016-03-01T01:19:35Z")
Ants? Pfft! You should get a load of the insects they pay to eat in northeastern Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/38 "2016-03-01T02:11:18Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m probably overreacting, but ants really squick me out ever since I saw some Discovery channel program on ants explaining that they track bacteria around. Now whenever I see an ant, I imagine a little glowing trail of e. coli or staph or what have you, left in its wake. > > Anyway, I refilled my water glass earlier and took several big swigs out of it, only to notice that there were a couple dead ants floating in the water. Yuck. Apart from the total grossness factor, is there any way that ingesting ants or water in which dead ants have been floating can harm you? I’m guessing not so much but thought I’d ask around and find out anyway. > > And, might I say again, yuck? Yeah, I know this is a zombie. BUT, I’m having trouble reconciling the assertion in the OP that ants trail bacteria with this Straight Dope answer by Doug. > **[Are ants disease-carriers?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343383/are-ants-disease-carriers)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD I’m inclined to go with Doug on this one and assume that TV misinforms yet again. ---
**Author:** ![TonyRV2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TonyRV2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonyRV2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925/39 "2016-03-04T16:14:05Z")
If these were free range organically fed ants you’ll likely be ok. If these were your run of the mill ants produced by corporate breeders for mass consumption you’ll likely die of cancer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925.md?page=1)