This week my son and I have been watching a toothbrush. No, we haven’t gone bonkers. This does have something to do with ants.
You see, we saw this post about an unusual Ant-traction. It seems that a certain type of ant likes the rubbery buttons Colgate toothbrushes. Go check it out. Here’s a link to the original post, as well.
The first thing we wondered, of course, was whether this is a prank or hoax. I think you could get the same effect by rubbing a little sugar water or honey on the brush.
We bought a toothbrush to check it out. So far our fire ants, Solenopsis xyloni, could care less about the toothbrush. But that doesn’t mean the effect isn’t real. It could be that the rubbery bit contains a pheromone specific to one or a few closely-related species of ants. We are going to continue our experiments.
If there turns out to be something to this, it won’t be the first time humans have inadvertently produced a product that mimics an insect pheromone. One classic example is the finding that termites of the species Reticulotermes flavipes will follow an ink trail drawn by a certain type of pen. (See for example, this experiment).
If you’d like to learn more, here is a video showing EO Wilson explaining some of the basics of pheromones and other chemical signals in ants:
We’ll let you know if we get any ants to react.
And please let us know if you try this experiment, what your results were, and what kinds of ants you used.
Stand back, you’re trying science!
Oh, it has to spread, it is just too wild.
So, do you have any tips?
I have that exact same toothbrush, and have had exactly the same problem! I threw out one toothbrush after ants invaded it, and replaced it with a new one. Before I had even used it, there were ants all over it! I don’t have ants anywhere else in my bathroom. Weird.
Thanks for letting me know. Do the ants look like the same kind?
i’m so glad i chanced upon this site after searching for “ants on my toothbrush”. because exactly the same thing’s been happening to me! i do have ants in my bathroom, but never have they invaded toothbrushes. however, every morning, i take out my toothbrush to find just that rubber spot FILLED with ants! it’s disgusting. i’m throwing out my toothbrush first thing when i get home!
Sorry that you have been experiencing this. If you try another brand of toothbrush, let me know how it goes.
I am an ant and sometimes falls asleep with my toothbrush in my mouth when I am lying on my bed.
LOL!
I have the same toothbrush and the same problem.
This EXACT THING has happened to me!! I’m from Texas but i’m currently living in Malaysia and a couple weeks ago I picked up my toothbrush to discover there were about 20-30 little ants crawling on the rubber parts! I have been having this exact problem everyday and now it’s almost normal to have to shake the ants off whenever I use it. I hate it though! Is there any possible way I can keep the ants away??
You might want to try leaving your toothbrush with the handle down in a glass of water.
Good luck.
Same thing happened to my colgate toothbrush as well. I’ll leave it side-by-side with my husband’s toothbrush (no rubbery button on his toothbrush) and the ants go only for my toothbrush!