Does Sugar on the Lawn Attract Ants?

No—watered-in sugar doesn't attract ants. It dissolves and feeds soil microbes, not surface foragers. An organic program actually increases predator populations: toads, lizards, and grass snakes move in and consume ants, slugs, grubs, and other pests. Toads especially love slugs; lizards devour aphids; grass snakes eat small insects.

Chemical programs kill these allies. Sugar simply jump-starts the microbial food web that supports a balanced ecosystem. Within a season or two, pest pressure drops dramatically without any insecticides. The sugar application rate (4–5 lbs per 1,000 sq ft) is far too dilute to attract ants once watered in.