Coca cola roach and ant killer, online article

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of Coca Cola as a method for pest control, specifically targeting ants and roaches. Participants explore the implications of using sugary beverages in gardens and the biological interactions between pests and potential predators. The conversation includes personal experiences and anecdotal evidence regarding pest behavior and control strategies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that Coca Cola, due to its sugar content, attracts ants which may help control roach populations by feeding on their larvae.
  • Others argue that while sugar may attract ants, it does not necessarily create them, and the effectiveness of this method depends on the existing ant population.
  • A participant shares a personal experience where ants congregated around sugary beverages, indicating a strong attraction to sugar.
  • There is a discussion about the potential role of high fructose corn syrup in attracting ants, with some preferring cane sugar.
  • Concerns are raised about the article's clarity regarding the control of ant populations and the overall effectiveness of the proposed method.
  • Some participants mention alternative pest control methods, including the introduction of cats to manage both rats and roaches, although this idea is presented humorously.
  • A participant notes that the presence of rats may indicate a decline in roach populations, suggesting a predator-prey dynamic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of skepticism and curiosity regarding the effectiveness of using Coca Cola for pest control. There is no consensus on the method's validity, and multiple competing views remain about the interactions between ants, roaches, and the use of sugary substances.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for more evidence and relevant experiences to support claims about the effectiveness of using Coca Cola in pest management. The discussion also touches on the complexities of ecological interactions in pest control scenarios.

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TL;DR
bad advice from an online article in my opinion
I just found and am reading the online article, https://itsthevibe.com/everyday-object-life-hacks/26/ . Just before I reached this article, I was guessing that it was going to discuss diet drink of coca cola containing either some artificial sweetener or aspartame, but NO! The article discussed the use of normal type of coca cola containing sugar. Maybe my opinion needs an expert to help me adjust it, but from my own experience, coca cola containing sugar will ATTRACT ants, a small field's worth of them. This seems to be how to create a concentrated problem.
 
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What they are saying is that if you put sugery stuff out in a field somewhere, you will end up with now ants there which will eat the roach larvae. Its a biological warfare approach.
Similarly, I once worked in a biology building where roaches were constantly present.
"Why not poison them?" you might ask. Because, its in a biology building with all kinds of research going on with animals. Don't want to mess around with poisons there.
During construction one year, the concrete envelope of the building was compromised and rats got in.
It was noticed that the pesky roaches had disappeared for some, at then unknown reason.
It turned ou the rats were eating the roaches quite efficiently.
This was nice for a while, but then rats started dropping out of the suspended ceilings on to people's heads or showing up in a secretary's desk drawer, eating her sandwich.
Eventually, it was decided that rats had to go.
A guy came in and set rat traps (like the classic wood and wire mouse traps, but bigger) in all the likely places.
The rats were all killed in a week or two, and then the roaches came back.
 
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I can accept that it would work as (indirect) pesticide, bringing up the ants to the leaves of the plants.
But for this to work you need to have ants first. Sugar won't create the ants.

The article is about your garden. What kind of garden? Lawn has ants, but no leaves what would require their tending. A vegetable garden would require such tending, but (by my experience) has insufficient amount of ants.

A really interesting idea, but I feel skeptics. Would like to see proof (relevant experience) first.
 
I may need to reread the article. My experience was, other than finding ants making their trail to congregate around soft drink beverage items left out, was having seen thousands of ants collected on a cement porch leading to a room where coca cola or pepsi cola had been sitting for a few hours. The beverage was the kind containing sugar, since artificial sweeteners in such beverages were not yet popular at the time back then.
 
Ants seem to me to like high fructose corn syrup (soda pop sweetener) as much as they like cane sugar -- I prefer pure cane sugar -- perhaps some ants are less fussy than I am.
 
Something's wrong with that article. Titling indicates a way to use Coka Cola to kill ants and roaches (in the garden). The sugary cola attracts the ants (so this does not say it kills them), which find and eat pest larvae (roaches?), so this leads to less pest larvae or roaches so killed by being eaten by the ants. Article then said nothing about any what controls the ants. Article is become somewhat interesting so I am interested in being more sharply aware of the full process.
 
Several sources can be found for the story, like this or this
The common point seems like spraying of sugar solution (coca cola being only a replacement), and presence of red- or fire ants (addicted to sugar and being at least part predatory, aggressive) to be baited.

Now, fire ants are not something you want to invite into your garden. I think I'll pass on this.
 
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BillTre said:
A guy came in a set rat traps
Did anybody suggest bringing in cats first to see if a balance could be achieved? Titrate the number of cats to keep both the rat and roach populations in check... :smile:
 
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berkeman said:
Did anybody suggest bringing in cats first to see if a balance could be achieved? Titrate the number of cats to keep both the rat and roach populations in check... :smile:
Then if the cats get out of hand...
 
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. . . and please be gentle when keeping the cat off your keyboard . . .
 
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pinball1970 said:
Then if the cats get out of hand...
Hmm, good point. Hopefully the titration would start on the conservative side, and build up the number of cats as needed. If they are over-hunting, you could send a couple home with employees for a week or two to swing the balance the other way... :smile:
 
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  • #12
BillTre said:
rats were eating the roaches quite efficiently
The way I heard it, if your roaches disappear you have mice, and if your mice disappear you have rats.
 
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Keith_McClary said:
The way I heard it, if your roaches disappear you have mice, and if your mice disappear you have rats.
Rats are pretty prevalent in the wilds of the LA area.
Mice seemed less common.
 
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pinball1970 said:
Then if the cats get out of hand...
Remembering the old woman who swallowed a fly...
 
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