Are Ants Attracted To Urine?
Ants are attracted to urine. Urine is an attractive food source for ants. It contains a number of substances such as water, urea, and glucose which ants need to survive.
In this article, we’ll learn more about ants like urine as we discuss the following:
- Composition of urine
- Why urine attracts ants
- Which ants are attracted to urine
Along with these main topics, we’ll also discuss ants in the bathroom and other related questions.
What is Urine? Chemical Composition of Urine
Urine is a solution composed of metabolic waste from the body. It’s made of 95% water and varied concentrations of the following substances shown: [1]
| Substance | Concentration (g/l) |
|---|---|
| Urea | 9.3 g/l |
| Chloride | 1.87 g/l |
| Sodium | 1.17 g/l |
| Potassium | 0.750 g/l |
| Creatinine | 0.670 g/l |
| Inorganic Sulfur | 0.163 g/l |
Aside from these, urine also contains glucose, protein, dissolved ions, and other compounds.
Why are Ants Attracted to Urine?
Ants are attracted to urine due to the substances that it contains. Many of these substances help ants survive and function. They are as follows:
Water
Water is essential for every living thing including ants. It plays a role in many processes such as digestion, respiration, and in the case of ants, molting.
All these processes are important for growth, development, and survival. Therefore, it’s easy to see why ants are drawn to water.
Glucose
Glucose plays a major role in respiration. It’s key in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which fuels the body’s cellular processes.
With glucose, urine serves as an energy source. This is especially true if the urine contains excess glucose as a result of diabetes.
Urea
Urea or carbamide is the final nitrogenous extraction product of many organisms. It’s a major component of urine and is high in nitrogen content. [2]
Some ants have bacteria in their digestive tracts that allow them to process urea. They turn urea into nitrogen which the ants then use for the production of other proteins and amino acids. [3]
Proteins
Certain conditions like proteinuria can cause urine to contain protein. Like urea, ants may use these proteins to produce amino acids and other proteins that they need.
Sodium
Sodium is yet another important substance for ants. It plays a role in maintaining muscle and nerve activity, and fluid balance. [4]
Other Minerals
Apart from sodium, urine also provides other important minerals. They are as follows:
- Potassium: Helps with muscular and nerve health.
- Sulfur: Plays a role in cuticle hardening
Which Ants are Attracted to Urine?
Any ant could be attracted to urine. With all the necessary substances in it, there’s no reason for them not to be.
That said, there are some ants known to particularly like urine. These ants are as follows:
Indian Black Ants (Camponotus compressus)
Indian black ants are ground-nesting ants from India and Southeast Asia. They’re known to frequent toilets and urinals to consume urine for urea.
Sugar Ants (Camponotus terebrans)
Sugar ants are large, orange-brown ants commonly found in Australia. As their name implies, these ants love sugar and sweets.
However, some sugar ants can prefer urine over sweets. To survive nutrient-scarce environments, sugar ants opt to mine urine over sugar water. They do so to extract urea from which they can extract nitrogen.
Are Ants Attracted to Toilets?
Ants can be attracted to toilets. Toilets, after all, can be a gold mine for them and provide easy access to urine. That’s all the water, nitrogen, and possibly glucose that they need.
From an ant’s perspective, it’s a buffet
What Else Attracts Ants to Toilets or Bathrooms?
There are many other things that attract ants to toilets or bathrooms. These things include food, water, and shelter.
Food
We already know that toilets can provide ants with a consistent supply of urine. Apart from urine though, toilets and bathrooms can also provide other types of food.
Bathrooms have different types of waste that ants can eat. Drains, for example, may contain dead skin cells like dandruff which provides protein. Depending on how dirty a bathroom is, it may also contain fecal matter which ants also eat.
Additionally, bathrooms also attract other insects that ants prey on.
Water
Even without urine, bathrooms provide ants with a constant supply of water. As we’ve already established, ants need water to survive. It plays a role in many physiological processes and prevents ants from drying out.
If you’d like to learn more, here’s an article on why ants are attracted to water.
Shelter
Bathrooms offer ants the ideal shelter. It protects them from the elements and provides a steady supply of food and water. All in all, bathrooms promote the growth of the colony.
How to Keep Ants Out of Your Bathroom
Here are a few tips to keep ants away from your bathroom:
- Keep your bathroom clean: Buildup of waste attracts ants. Thus, make sure to clean traces of feces or urine from your toilet. Clear the drains, seal garbage cans, and keep dirty laundry out.
- Keep your bathroom dry: Ants love to nest around moist areas. So keep your bathroom well aerated and dry. Also fix leaks, especially those that are near wood.
- Seal your bath products: Shampoos, soap, and lotions may attract ants. Keep these items sealed and contained.
- Seal cracks or crevices: Try to prevent entry. Seal any cracks, crevices, or other entry points that allow ants into your bath.
Related Questions
Are Ants Attracted to Pet Urine?
Yes, ants are attracted to pet urine. Pet urine also contains the same substances as human urine. It’s full of water, nitrogenous waste, glucose, and minerals. Thus, ants benefit from pet urine the same way they do from ours.
Do Ants in Urine Indicate Diabetes?
Not exactly. Ants in urine may suggest the presence of sugar, but it doesn’t automatically mean diabetes.
Sugar in urine is a symptom of diabetes and another condition called glycosuria. Thus, other tests are required for diagnosis.
Summary
To summarize, urine attracts ants because of the substances it contains. These substances include the following:
- Water
- Glucose
- Urea
- Protein
- Other minerals
Ants use these substances for important processes in the body that allow them to survive. In fact, some ants like the Indian Black ants, rely on urine for nutrition.
