Ants in tea water

[Jedsada3]

Hello everyone,

Every morning the same movie: very small ants took place in the water cooker.

I have a Tefal water cooker, you know those cableless ones with invisible heater. Every morning before I cook water for the tea, I have to clean it to remove those very small insects.

I already tried everything to avoid them to visit the cooker but it's hopeless.

• I empty it after use
• I fill it with water after use
• I let it closed after use
• I let it open after use
• I moved it from kitchen to dining room
• I removed the plants and flowers which were within a radius of 3m
• I bought an other water cooker
• I always use water from bottles.

As the base is the power supply I didn't try to set the kettle in water over night.

I don't mind if lizards, geckos or other animal visit my house but ants in tea water, no thanks.

What can I do ?

Thank you for your help.

J-J.

I don't know if it was the right forum to post this message.

[h90]

put it in the fridge over night

[rijb]

Put water in a plate. Place a bowl in it, upside down. Set your water cooker on the bowl.

Ants can't swim well.

PS: I put a little soap in the water just to really piss them off.

Edited May 9, 2015 by rijb

[KhunBENQ]

Put water in a plate. Place a bowl in it, upside down. Set your water cooker on the bowl.

Ants can't swim well.

PS: I put a little soap in the water just to really piss them off.

If you have a table with "waterproof"(!) table-legs: legs in small bowls filled with water.

Ant free table.

Don't do that with wooden table-legs

Edited May 9, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[pinkpanther99]

Bad news. There is literally nothing you can do.

Ants in the tea water/kettle/water heater is one of the many conundrums that expats face when living in Thailand.

I too have suffered your plight.

For me it became so frustrating that I stopped using the kettle, gave away the water heater/hot pot thingy and eventually stopped drinking tea altogether.

[rijb]

Put water in a plate. Place a bowl in it, upside down. Set your water cooker on the bowl.

Ants can't swim well.

PS: I put a little soap in the water just to really piss them off.

If you have a table with "waterproof"(!) table-legs: legs in small bowls filled with water.

Ant free table.

Don't do that with wooden table-legs

or maybe a moat around the entire house...

[cgphuket]

Heavily spray the surrounding area near the table with ant spray, about every 3-4 days.

[Jedsada3]

Thank ou for all your advices.

As I don't like to spray chemicals in the house, I already tried to circle the pot with lemon juice over nght... it was in vain.

I fear to set the pot on a bowl in a water plate, it's too dangerous because in the morning, both eyes look through the same hole as long as I didn't drink tea

I will try the fridge solution.

If there are some others advices, I will be happy to read them

[rijb]

Thank ou for all your advices.

As I don't like to spray chemicals in the house, I already tried to circle the pot with lemon juice over nght... it was in vain.

I fear to set the pot on a bowl in a water plate, it's too dangerous because in the morning, both eyes look through the same hole as long as I didn't drink tea

I will try the fridge solution.

If there are some others advices, I will be happy to read them

Take the pot off the bowl, before you plug it in.

[evadgib]

'Take to the sun!'

[Chonburiram]

Could be, that they set up camp in the top of the cooker. Or there are just a few sitting inside the outlet nipping on a drop of water.

What I do: Press the pump button to flush them out, then proceed as usual.

[trd]

And if a couple of ants are found floating on the surface of your tea as happens to me occasionally just remove them with a teaspoon and enjoy your cuppa. They won't do you any harm. After that you can graduate to eating some fried bugs.

[mogandave]

Buy the pump style and just leave it on.

[Thongkorn]

Put water in a plate. Place a bowl in it, upside down. Set your water cooker on the bowl.

Ants can't swim well.

PS: I put a little soap in the water just to really piss them off.

If you have a table with "waterproof"(!) table-legs: legs in small bowls filled with water.

Ant free table.

Don't do that with wooden table-legs

We use to do this in the Jungles, It works but plays havak with water snakes.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Thongkorn

[lemonjelly]

They are thirsty, put a dish of water for them on the floor.

[Benjie]

talcum powder underneath and around, ants don't like walking on it.

[biplanebluey]

So simple really,An electric water jug can stand on a bowl or as mine is,on a steel rack which stands in about an inch of water in a plastic tray.ants do not like water and can not swim so no need to empty and refill every time you use----no ants can get to it.We have a couple of these in the kitchen to protect things like bread and biscuits and sugar container.Been doing this for yrs with no problems. In fact after a while,if the ants(Mot) find it a waste of time they will soon stop coming,but I still keep everything 'floating' in the pond----Dougal

[biplanebluey]

Bad news. There is literally nothing you can do.

Ants in the tea water/kettle/water heater is one of the many conundrums that expats face when living in Thailand.

I too have suffered your plight.

For me it became so frustrating that I stopped using the kettle, gave away the water heater/hot pot thingy and eventually stopped drinking tea altogether.

Man you give up too easy----if you cannot cope with a sensible solution to a simple problem like this,there is only one way out------- Head back home !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[n210mp]

they are only protein, makes your cuppa into a health drink

Just think positive your cuppa could be half empty instead of half full (of protein ants)

(forgive my warped sense of humour) I have the same problem every day with the kettle

I ask the Boss why do we have this problem of ants everywhere, her answer, if it's raining, they come in out of the rain and if its very hot then they are coming in out of the heat.

Oh well backto the drawing board

[janpharma]

We shared the same problem..several times...You will have to dismantle the entire system to clean it thouroughly...And this is no guarantee that they won't come back...

[maswov]

Sprinkle baby powder around where the ants are coming from.

[Jedsada3]

And if a couple of ants are found floating on the surface of your tea as happens to me occasionally just remove them with a teaspoon and enjoy your cuppa. They won't do you any harm. After that you can graduate to eating some fried bugs.

If it was only 3 or 4 it would be OK but there are many of them (I guess 100-150). They most stay together forming a 1 cm Ø small ball in the kettle (no pump). They are very small, less than 1mm long. I tried to take a pic but without flash it's too dark and with flash it's reflecting on the stainless bottom of the kettle and we can't see it.

When I try to get them out with a spoon or to empty the kettle, they run everywhere in the pot (in the filter, under the cover and in evey possible corner) and I have to use the bum gun to get them out.

I will try to make a pic with day light and post it here...

[slipperylobster]

Start drinking your tea with ants inside your cup. Act like you enjoy it. That ought to get their attention.

[thailandforumaddict]

Don't clean only the kettle, clean the rest of your home also :-)

[loong]

I use the ant killing chalk on every possible access that the ants have, including the power lead.

Make sure that the chalk line is unbroken and renew every day.

As Konisaan says, they seem to learn areas to avoid and it is only when a new colony arrives that you need to repeat the treatment.

I've had ants get into screw top containers with coffee mate and sugar. They walk around the screw. Blocking their access with the chalk can last for months even when the chalk is no longer there

[Vogele123]

The ants that get into the water boiler are usually smaller than a tea leaf, just drink them! You won't even feel them go down.

[smotherb]

heat your water on the stove in a clean pan

[lianajohn]

For a long time I found tiny ants inside the water tank of my coffee machine. They were not just a few but a whole bunch swimming around happily, I presume. I tried many methods to rid of them but all my efforts went in vain. Finally I engaged a pest control company and sprayed some "magical agent" around the coffee machine and the dry area (nearby invisible trails). After two treatments, the ants disappeared. Although I still see those tiny ants from time to time around the sugar I forgot to seal, I haven't seen them inside the water tank of my coffee machine again.

[chiang mai]

You cannot escape from ants in Thailand, it's simply not possible.

[GlutinousMaximus]

There is a kind of ant powder you can get in supermarkets (comes in little silver packets). Leave it out in dishes where you see them around and the ants eat it and apparently take it home to their nest where it kills the colony.

For ages I was plagued with the little red fire ants all over the house. Not only did they bite you indiscriminately, but left holes in cotton clothes, got into electrical items and so on - a real pain they were.

Anyway, after treating with this powder, they disappeared altogether and never came back (and I last used the powder literally years ago). Strange - almost like their hive mind knows our house is 'bad news'.

Very occasionally I've had smaller black ants come in -- e.g if there's a bit of sugar spilled etc. and I just wipe them up with a wet cloth and then they disappear again.