# Re: How far will ants wander in search of food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 20, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769 "2004-08-20T19:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sanchos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sanchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanchos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/1 "2004-08-20T19:56:38Z")
Allright Doug, in the article you mention that an ant will release a chemical trail to naivgate the other ants to food. What chemical is this, and where can I get it. I have some neihbors that I don’t like. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/2 "2004-08-20T23:45:36Z")
link [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantforage.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantforage.html) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/3 "2004-08-20T23:49:32Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, **Sanchos** , we’re glad to have you with us. When you start a thread, it’s helpful to other readers if you provide a link to the Column or Staff Report that you’re commenting on. This saves lots of searching time, etc. And, in this case, the Staff Report won’t appear on the website officially until this Tuesday, 24 August, so people who aren’t on the mailing lists won’t even be able to see it on the front page. No biggie, you’ll know for next time, and thanks to **whatsittoya** for providing the link. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/4 "2004-08-21T03:40:17Z")
If ant pheromones were available in commercially synthesized quantities, they would form a valuable weapon in the arsenal of pest control management. And they don’t. Ergo, there isn’t anywhere you can obtain ant pheromones OTC. ---
**Author:** ![nancyflute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f17d59/32.png) [@nancyflute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nancyflute)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/5 "2004-08-21T15:07:24Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > If ant pheromones were available in commercially synthesized quantities, they would form a valuable weapon in the arsenal of pest control management. > > And they don’t. > > Ergo, there isn’t anywhere you can obtain ant pheromones OTC. A few things I learned about discouraging ants: keep all food in tightly sealed containers; SWEEP your kitchen floor daily and wipe off all spills of any kind; put CUCUMBER PEELS in your kitchen cabinets, etc. . . . even on window sills and the sill of the entry door of your house. Of course, you may experience heart stoppage one day when you open a seldom-used cabinet and see a weird, shriveled, evil-looking THING there—until you recall what it was originally! However, ants just HATE cucumber peels, for whatever reason. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dangermouse1956](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@dangermouse1956](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermouse1956)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/6 "2004-08-28T15:42:20Z")
> [@Sanchos](#): > > Allright Doug, in the article you mention that an ant will release a chemical trail to naivgate the other ants to food. > > What chemical is this, and where can I get it. I have some neihbors that I don’t like. 😉 Don’t worry about the pheromones, Sanchos. Just buy ten or twenty pounds of sugar and sprinkle it all around their house (or wherever you want to attract the ants). ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/7 "2004-09-03T17:33:23Z")
> [@Duck Duck Goose](#): > > Ergo, there isn’t anywhere you can obtain ant pheromones OTC. O.K., but if I’m willing to go the black market route …? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/8 "2004-09-03T21:05:45Z")
… or buy 'em from Canada. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/9 "2004-09-05T06:13:49Z")
- snerk \* ---
**Author:** ![Hambil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Hambil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hambil)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-far-will-ants-wander-in-search-of-food/260769/10 "2004-09-05T17:09:09Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > … or buy 'em from Canada. Canadian ant pheromones aren’t safe.