The strangest thing that you can ever see is floating ants in the toilet tank.
Some people have observed it even if their bathrooms are swanky clean.
So, why there’re ants in the toilet tank?
Let’s find it out.
2 Reasons For Ants In Toilet Tank
The first reason for ants in the toilet tank is the source of the water has ant infestation.
Now that’s hard to address if you’ve got a regular water supply because you can’t do much about it.
The best that you can do is contact the water supplier or the utility company.
They’re the ones who can solve this problem.
But if you’ve got a well as a water source, then chances are that ants infest that well.
Technically, if your home has well, then there’s a filter system in the well too.
There might be some fault with the filter system causing the ants to reach the toilet tank.
Check the screen of the filter system for any holes or cracks. If there’s any, change it.
You can use a water softener in your well. Water softeners repel bugs like ants and flies from getting into the well.
So, it’s always best to check for ants, or other bugs, in and around your water well.
The second reason is ants hiding just behind the toilet tank.
Ants get into your home when the temperatures outside are high.
They look for moist and cool places to survive. So, ants can get into the bathroom or toilet.
As ants are quite capable enough to hide in tight places, so it’s easy for them to hide behind the toilet tank.
To check if there are ants behind the toilet tank, take off the lid of the tank.
If there’re ants, then you’ll see some ants sticking on the lid’s edges.
You’ll also find many ants scurrying out in different directions. You may also discover a queue of ants entering the toilet tank.
Follow that queue, and it’ll lead you to the gap or crack on the wall where they’re hiding.
There might be holes in the toilet tank’s lid.
These holes are acting as the entry point for the ants into the toilet tank. Seal those holes to stop them.
Checking the rear area of the toilet tank can expose an entire colony of ants settled and thriving.
What should you do if you find ants behind the toilet tank?
There are two solutions for it.
First, remove the tank and clean it from behind with a disinfectant.
Also, check for any gaps and cracks on the wall behind the tank and in your bathroom.
Ants do sneak through those little cracks on the bathroom walls and floors.
If you see those crevices on the wall behind the toilet tank, fill them with cement or a suitable quality sealant.
Second, use an insecticide spray, like Raid, to kill the ants.
That will solve your problem temporarily. But the first method is more long term.
What Type Of Ants Can Get Into Toilet Sink?
Any ant that has infested the water supply point can get into the toilet sink.
But many people observe tiny red fire ants in the toilet sink.
It’s because fire ants are more prone to nest on the damp soil around the water supply joint or the well.
But if your bathroom is unclean, has lots of cracks and gaps on the walls, or the tiles are loose, ants can live in those gaps.
From our experience, carpenter ants and ghost ants are quite common in bathrooms.
Ants Coming Out When You Flush The Toilet.
Have you ever come across a situation like that in the video below?
If you’ve, then it’s an indication that you or someone from your home might have diabetes.
The urine of diabetes patients attracts carpenter ants in the toilet basin.
It’s because the urine of diabetes patients has sugar, which attract ants.
So, if you see a bunch of ants ejecting from the sides of the toilet’s rim when you’re flushing the toilet, then chances are you or someone from your family has diabetes.
You may also find ants sticking with the toilet bowl’s surface for the same reason.
Consult a doctor asap to check if you’ve diabetes. And clean your toilet daily.
How To Get Rid Of Ants From Bathroom And Toilet Bowl?
To get rid of ants from your bathroom, you need to first check for gaps and cracks on the bathroom floor and walls.
Ants make nests and hide in these gaps.
If you find any, seal off those gaps with a good quality sealant.
If there are any loose floor tiles, fix them. There maybe ant nests underneath the tile.
Then spray an anti-ant spray in the bathroom corners.
Make sure you spray in the plumbing areas underneath your bathroom vanity. That place is a habitat for ants and different types of bugs like silverfish and roaches.
Don’t miss out to spray on the tight spaces like behind the toilet bowl.
If you don’t want to use insecticide, then you can use borax and vinegar to get rid of the ants from your bathroom.
Both borax and vinegar are safe for humans and pets.
How to use borax to kill ants?
It’s easy.
All you’ve to do is mix half a cup of sugar, one tbsp of borax, with a cup of warm water. Stir the mixture well till the sugar dissolves.
Take a few small pieces of cotton fabric. Dip them in the solution of borax and sugar.
Keep these pieces of wet cotton fabric on different corners of your bathroom.
The sugar will attract the ants, and the ants will consume the solution from a wet cloth.
Borax is a poison for ants. Once ants consume the solution, they’ll die.
Another way to get rid of ants from your bathroom is to use white vinegar.
It’s easier than using borax.
Put half a cup of white vinegar in a gallon of water.
Mop the bathroom floor, bathtub, bathroom basin sink, toilet sink, and bathroom counter with a mixture of vinegar and water.
It’d be best if you don’t leave the tight corners around the toilet sink and bathtub.
But vinegar doesn’t kill ants. It repels the ants.
Ants hate the acidic smell of vinegar.
Once the ants smell the vinegar, they’ll leave your bathroom.
Vinegar will also repel any other bugs that are active in your bathroom.
You can use the vinegar-method if there aren’t many ants or other bugs in your bathroom.
But if there are too many of them, then it’s better to use insecticide or borax.
Conclusion
Ants in the toilet tank is a clear sign of ant infestation in the water supply area.
Ants are getting into the pipes leading to your home and ending up floating in the toilet sink.
Another reason can be that ants are hiding in the gaps and cracks on the bathroom walls, floors, and behind the toilet tank.
Seal those gaps before using borax, insecticide, or vinegar to get rid of ants from your bathroom and toilet sink.
Do you want to know the core reason for ants in your home? Check out our post here to learn more.
Dr. Thomas Orbert, the Microbial Maestro, dances with the tiniest of creatures as an entomologist extraordinaire! With a PhD in entomology, his passion lies in unraveling the secret symphonies of insect-microbe interactions. From minuscule marvels to captivating complexities, Dr. Orbert unveils the hidden world of bugs, igniting curiosity one buzz at a time!