What is the deal with ants and coffee makers., ug!.

[T Baer]

Is it the smell of the coffee, the water or what? DH makes coffee for me in the AM and noticed the ants..again. Later, after I cleaned the counter and ran errands which included buying ant traps. I came back and there were a hugh cluster of them underneath the coffee maker. I killed them and almost threw the coffee maker outdoors..minus the coffee that was fresh. The thing is not sitting outdoors with the hopes that those little pest will freeze and quit living in there.

[Lorna in the boonies]

Yuck. That's pretty nasty!

I don't have problems with ants in my coffee maker, but just this week I've noticed a problem with ants in my mailbox. If I don't get out there just as the truck pulls away, I have to shake the ants off my mail before bringing it into the house. There are, quite suddenly, tons of them in there. (I don't get it. It's just a metal mailbox with no food or water or anything. Why are there hundreds of ants in my mailbox?)

I hope we can both get to the root of our ant problems!

[Sue G in PA]

not sure exactly why. I keep my counters wiped for the most part, but they seem to congregate near the coffee maker. Not in it, just around and under it. Yuck is right. I keep a Terro bait on my counter in the back corner and it does help. THat reminds me...must replace the one I have b/c the ants are back! Wish I could help you figure this out!

[Blossom'sGirl]

This our first year in this house so I still don't know what to expect insect-wise. Just starting a few days ago the big ants arrived and they are focused on our coffee maker. DH actually had one fall out of the brew hole. Last night I washed all the coffee maker parts in the dishwasher and today I cleaned the counter with a bleach solution. So far I haven't seen them but I'm sure I have a battle ahead.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Is it the smell of the coffee, the water or what? DH makes coffee for me in the AM and noticed the ants..again. Later, after I cleaned the counter and ran errands which included buying ant traps. I came back and there were a hugh cluster of them underneath the coffee maker. I killed them and almost threw the coffee maker outdoors..minus the coffee that was fresh. The thing is not sitting outdoors with the hopes that those little pest will freeze and quit living in there.

It's the water. They come into houses looking for it. I feel for you.

We had a dehumidifier in a piano once that... I can't talk about it. I still shudder and cringe, and it was 22 years ago. I remember crying and crying when I had to clean ants out that year.

Ugh!!