Apple Fritters in the Moat

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A week ago, we brought home apple fritters and left them on the kitchen counter. That evening grandson David saw tiny ants on the box. Not only were they on the box, they were IN the box, crawling all over those lovely fritters. This time I was determined the ants were not going to feast on our treat. I filled a shallow bowl with water, stood a tall glass in the middle, added a plastic container to support the box, and put the fresh fritters on top. I knew the ants would not be able to swim to the glass and get in the box.

Fritter moat

David snickered when he saw the fritter tower. Son John $pencer saw us eating breakfast and asked, “Are you eating the Critter Fritters?”

Yes, we ate those ant-free fritters and enjoyed every bite.

Do you have a story of outwitting ants or mice?

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

66 thoughts on “Apple Fritters in the Moat”

  7. We get ants around the cat food if we’re not careful. This year has been better than most (which makes no sense considering how hot it was). I’ve started to put the most vulnerable cat food dish on top of another dish hoping that the ants won’t climb that high. The moat is good though. I’ll try that when I get flummoxed.

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  8. That’s a good idea Anne. I’ve had a year of bugs but haven’t outsmarted a single one of them. I had the moths from the peanuts from the bird food store … last time for that believe me. The moths were not in the peanuts, must be on the bag. Had to buy moth traps – so I might have outsmarted them as there are bodies in the trap. Last night I got ready to go to bed and I don’t know why I glanced at my bedroom window … in between the glass was a huge, black spider hanging on its web. I felt sick. I was 99.9% sure he could not get in but went to bed with much trepidation anyway!

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      1. It is rare that a bug of any kind gets in between the metal rolling shutters and the blinds. I cannot roll up my metal blinds – they have been stuck in a down position for many years. So I can’t look out or open the windows. Somehow this spider slipped underneath the blind somewhere and crawled up and into the corner … a big, black spider with long, wide legs. I felt sick when I saw it. I immediately thought “can this thing get inside somehow?” I took a picture but I am sure it didn’t do it justice. It was gone in the morning, but you can bet your boots, the first thing I turned on the light, I scanned the entire room. 🙂

        It was retribution for the spider I killed the other day – I brought in the hummingbird feeders – I took one apart and found a web on the underside of the top/lid. I wondered how it squeezed through the port? Then I saw a brown spider walking on the paper towel where I laid the feeder – almost had a heart attack, but killed it at any rate.

        I reminded me that years ago at the Firm, before Robb/I left, my area where I worked was an actual office with a wonderful view of the Detroit River. The building was old with windows that raised up and no screens on them. One Summer I came into work, and in the corner of the window, on the outside, was the hugest spider stretched out on a thick web. I felt sick. I called one of the secretaries over and said “these old windows – can that thing get in?” This was on the 11th floor – it must have scaled the wall. She said “well, if you really want, I can open the window and take something and swat it down for you.” I was scared she would miss. I couldn’t help twirling my head around to watch it. It was there a good week and we had rain – Hallelujah for rain!! It was a pelting rain and the spider must have gotten knocked off. My other fear was this … it was an old building and we had a window washer – not the traditional type on a scaffold/walkway that lowered them down … no, we had a guy who was like a monkey and had a rope and gizmo that he used and hung somewhere and he came down the side of the building very slowly and swung back and forth, with his pail of water inside in the office – so he opened the window and went in and out and did the inside at the same time. I don’t know if that was a cut-rate window-washing service, but it sure looked dangerous in my opinion.

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          1. They all gave me the heebie jeebies. They washed the windows in the Buhl Building in the Spring and Fall – you couldn’t have any papers around or they’d blow out the window. It was a really strange set-up.

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  15. Ew. Good for you with that contraption! I once tried to buy a honey-soaked pastry (baklava) but after they put it on a plate I saw those little ants. I went pastry-free that day.
    But one time I managed to drown a lot of fruit flies that had been hanging around my kitchen. I forget what I used – orange juice maybe? anyway, it was buh-bye flies!

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  16. I do the same with my honey jar. If I leave it on the counter it will draw ants. I put it in a cup, and if they find it that way, I add a bit of water to the cup…just like yours…a moat. It works!

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  18. They are annoying little creatures, but I guess we have to view them as the worlds cleaners. Devouring all the rubbish and detritus. We just don’t want them anywhere else! Especially not in the kitchen. I had a new kitchen installed and found I had an ant problem for quite a while. Unbeknownst to me, ants love silicone and the kitchen cabinet makers put silicone everywhere to seal the tiles. We ended up with an ant colony in the microwave! Awful. Hope you can eliminate the source.

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                  1. So you experienced drought as well. This morning I heard some areas that were drought stricken for years, have just received some good falls of rain. The people are over the moon.

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                    1. Three or four years ago there were wildfires in the mountains in which several people died. We smelled smoke for weeks. These days, I’m happy for rain that keeps the streams full and the leaves green.

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  20. I love your moat idea, Anne. I usually mix equal parts honey and borax and put a big drop of the mixture on a piece of wax paper. The ants swarm it, then take it back to their nest to share. The borax crystals kill the entire colony! Gone in 1 day without any harmful chemicals!

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  23. No mice or ant stories, but you should see the trap Charlie has built to (so far gratefully unsuccessfully)catch one of the turkeys tearing up our yard. He plans to “relocate” it if one ever wanders in. So far they are just lying around in front of the thing!

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  24. ants have Scouts who’s main objective is to find food! Once they find food they head back to the nest. On the way back they spray pheromones onto the surface so other ants can find the food. I think If you use a black light you can see them?
    If you wipe the surface with bleach you’ll wipe out their routes,but don’t forget those Scouts are constantly searching!

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