Should I not eat something that kills ants ?

Basically I had a small amount of x virgin olive oil in a plastic bottle about the size of an aspirin container. I was using it for my dry feet and calves and the bottle got oily so I placed it in the bathroom on the side of the tub. There wasn't much left in the bottle really at all and I noticed some ants had found their way in to the bottle and they were all over it. So I placed the bottle inside of the tub and had planned to let them collect in the tub on the bottle and I would blast them with the massager the next morning. I don't like using insect killer inside so I was just going to flush them down the drain. A few hours later I went to check and they were all dead. Even the ones on the outside of the bottle were dead. The oil is new and not rancid. Im not sure what to think about that one. They were so attracted to it but it killed them. I looked it up on the net and found olive oil is used in home made ant control concoctions but I never saw specifically where it says the oil kills the ants and it is bad for us as humans, I realize we are much larger than ants.

originally posted by: lotusfoot
Basically I had a small amount of x virgin olive oil in a plastic bottle about the size of an aspirin container. I was using it for my dry feet and calves and the bottle got oily so I placed it in the bathroom on the side of the tub. There wasn't much left in the bottle really at all and I noticed some ants had found their way in to the bottle and they were all over it. So I placed the bottle inside of the tub and had planned to let them collect in the tub on the bottle and I would blast them with the massager the next morning. I don't like using insect killer inside so I was just going to flush them down the drain. A few hours later I went to check and they were all dead. Even the ones on the outside of the bottle were dead. The oil is new and not rancid. Im not sure what to think about that one. They were so attracted to it but it killed them. I looked it up on the net and found olive oil is used in home made ant control concoctions but I never saw specifically where it says the oil kills the ants and it is bad for us as humans, I realize we are much larger than ants.

Insects have a very rudimentary form of "breathing". It's basically just a series of tubes which they can open and close. Non water soluble substances like soap or oil will clog these tubes and they die. At warmer times of years they keep these tubes open at all times to remain hydrated. Unfortunately, this makes them easier to clog.

This is a very simplified explanation. But it should make clear to you why olive oil can be deadly to insects, but not to people.

Basically the oil smothered them...

a reply to: lotusfoot

Beer attracts snails. They like it so much they will drown in it. Should we stop drinking beer now?


Different species different trades i guess

Basically any oil will kill insects and other 'bugs' which breathe through holes in their bodies, if those holes get covered. I have used cooking spray to kill yellowjacket wasps. BTW, sugar water with sufficient baking soda added will also kill ants and roaches, as they cannot burp and essentially 'pop'. Both methods are non-toxic to people and pets, and environmentally friendly, as they are biodegradable.

a reply to: lotusfoot

Salt attracts termites, this I know for sure and I love me some salt.

The ants most likely drowned in the oil, I would'nt worry about it.

Chocolate kills dogs ... you giving that up?

mmmm chocolate covered ants

Fairly sure Olive oil is not dangerous, people have been ingesting it for hundreds of years.

It's very good for you.

a reply to: mwood

i heard it helps cell growth

Poor little ants. They come into your home to say hi and you waste them with oil.
I hope your digging lots of little ant graves!

Olive oil is very good for you. Any oil is bad for insects if it clogs their spiracles. I've made very effective ant and roach traps by pouring a little cooking oil in a jar lid and placing bait, something like a small piece of cake, in the middle of it.

Use regular olive oil or the light olive oil. The extra virgin part is actually a toxic addition to get rid of the stuff from killing all the land where olive oil is produced. Spread it out all over the world and just poison everyone a little. The old Italians didn't eat that crap, it is a misconception that it is good for you. Everything has a little good to it, but sometimes the bad is way worse than the good they tell us about.

Text The extra virgin part is actually a toxic addition to get rid of the stuff from killing all the land where olive oil is produced. Spread it out all over the world and just poison everyone a little.

a reply to: rickymouse

You have to elaborate on that one. What sort of toxins are you speaking of? I am not aware of any toxic additions. I thought it was just the oil from the first cold press. I am aware that olive oil, as well as most any other oil, can release harmful compounds if overheated.

Oil clogs their breathing apparatus? Well, that explains a lot. I've always wondered why Ants don't like butter.

a reply to: VoidHawk

magnifying glass creamatorium

a reply to: skunkape23

I got that information when researching the environmental impact of the olive processing industry. The more extra virgin chemicals that go with the oil, the better for the environment around the area where the industry is. It is cheaper to make extra virgin and promote it's being good than to dispose of the toxic waste.

I don't use extra virgin...I worked with a couple of Italian masons, they made lots of traditional sausages and wine. They wouldn't touch the extra virgin, they said they never would eat something like that in the old country and sure wouldn't eat it here. They used only virgin or light olive oil for all their cooking, they didn't use most of the vegetable oils used in America. Tino and his wife made all his own salad dressings also, they thought it was foolish for people to buy ready made stuff.

a reply to: rickymouse

I'm with Tino. A splash of oil and balsamic with a little salt and pepper...what else do you need? I'm just not clear on what sort of toxins you claim are in the first press. I am not being antagonistic. I am just not clear. I did the google and found nothing.

I think that determining why it killed them would be the main thing to figure out. You can kill ants with all kinds of liquids because it can prevent them from breathing. I would think that even the ants outside the bottle must have come into some contact with the oil for them to be killed, but if not then I have no idea why it would kill them.

a reply to: skunkape23

Here is one article. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

This is something I just found and it is about cooking with olive oil. Now, the plant defense chemicals are present in the extra virgin more than the virgin, because of the way it is processed. These are made by the plant to control overbrowsing of the fruit.

The information that has been coming out on this subject is lop sided, It is a fad. Too much extra virgin olive oil is not good for anyone, yet it seems like they are pushing people to put it on everything. In moderation it will not hurt us, but over a tablespoon a day is not such a good idea. Actually, we should not be consuming much of any plant based oils unless a few generations of our ancestors did. Back two thousand years ago, Olive oil was mostly used to put on the skin....that is what I get from reading history. It was also used occasionally as a medicine. Yet they say it was consumed all the time back then....I think that is a sales pitch.