How to Keep Ants From the Dog Food & Cage

Dog food is a very attractive source of food for ants (perhaps more than it is for dogs!). It sits on the floor for hours at a time, usually in some place that's out of the way of normal household foot traffic. It's dry, nutritious and leaves lots of crumbs, which ants can easily carry back to their nest. It is problematic to control ants in and around dog food bowls because the usual methods of ant control (poisons, sticky traps and other toxic materials) cannot be used. Luckily, there is a simple method to prevent ants from finding their way to a dog's food in the first place.

Things You'll Need

  • Heavy food bowl
  • Plastic container with lid
  • Scissors
  • Liquid dish detergent
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Instructions

  1. Dog food bowl

    • 1

      Cut a hole in the lid of the plastic container so that the dog food bowl can be placed inside with 1 inch of clearance all around.

    • 2

      Pour 1 inch of water into the plastic container before placing the bowl inside. If the water comes all the way up and overflows the sides of the dish, pour some out and replace the bowl. The water in the plastic container should not come up so far that your dog will easily be able to lick it up.

    • 3

      Pour a few drops of dish detergent into the water in the plastic container. This prevents the ants from swimming across to the dish, and also stops them from leaving a chemical trail which leads other ants to the bowl.

    Cage

    • 4

      Wash all bedding in the cage regularly to remove particles of food that will attract ants.

    • 5

      Wash out the inside of the cage every other time you wash the bedding, as small amounts of food may drop to the bottom of the cage, also attracting ants.

    • 6

      Wash the area around your dog's cage with soap and water. This will destroy the chemical trails that ants leave to guide other ants back to sources of food. Simply washing the area within a few feet around your pet's cage every two or three days will keep most ants from returning.