<b>By Suffolk Gazette Staff

A group of ant lovers is trying to save the insects from eating unnecessary sugar following Government warnings about consuming too much of it.</b>

The campaign, which is being coordinated by our <a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/category/features/lady-garden/" target="_blank">Gardening Correspondent Anita Bush</a>, was officially launched with a warning sign for ants at her kitchen door.



She is now urging readers and their children to do the same, or print our poster <i>below</i> to give to neighbours and relatives.

<a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ants-sugar-poster.jpg"><img src="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ants-sugar-poster.jpg" alt="ants sugar" width="792" height="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3402" /></a><br><br>

Anita told us: "Ants love sugar and we are told they are extremely intelligent so we hope they might understand the poster. It is worth a try. We don't want them becoming obese, getting gum disease or diabetes.

"My own house contains jars of Dolmio sauce which we were warned about last week because of the high sugar content of some varieties. We also have a few Hobnobs in case a plumber or electrician calls, and we even have a tub containing pure sugar for workmen who like it in their tea.

"There is wine in the house and pots of jam and marmalade in the cupboard. It could kill them en masse if they got past the kitchen door."

<center><a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/sugar-ants.jpg"><img src="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/sugar-ants.jpg" alt="ants sugar" width="640" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3403" /></a><i>Horror: Ants being killed by evil sugar</center></i><br><br>

Anita was approached by East Anglian Myrmecology Professor Anton Deck, who was concerned that not one aspect of the current anti-sugar campaign was directed at the very insects who will seek it out.

He said: "My ant-loving students come from all over Suffolk. Many have their own formicary or ant colony to keep them as pets. I know money is limited for ant anti-obesity and hoped the Suffolk Gazette could campaign to raise awareness. It could even lead to an environment journalism award.

The posters can be simply  printed off and pasted to kitchen doors or left on the doorsteps. Schools could join in and children could offer the posters to neighbours or grandparents who are unaware of the problem of potentially diabetic ants.

"East Anglia is full  of sugar beet farms so it's already like the killing fields out there for these little insects. They need to be warned of the dangers just like humans. All we can do is pray for them or they will be waddling around unable o do the job nature intended."

<b>Ant store cupboard</b>

Anita added: "A child once dropped a piece of pink wafer on my patio and within minutes there was an army of ants lifting it off to their ant store cupboard. Another time a drop of sweet chili jam fell on the kitchen floor during a barbecue and hundreds of ants swarmed in to lick it up.

"It's as if they are addicted to sugar and none of these health officials seem to want to help them.

"Ants can be valuable in the garden, tilling  the soil and seeing off smaller pests. While they are not cuddly like cats and rabbits and puppies they deserve to be cared for.

"If we could just stop them crossing that deadly line into the kitchen we could save them from years of bad health and gum disease. Diabetes could lead to blind ants or amputations."

Mr Simon Young, Editor of The Suffolk Gazette, said: "We are proud to back this campaign and there is no copyright on our poster so anyone can copy it, make it bigger and Sellotape it to the kitchen door or window or under the sink if that is where ants are getting in.

"Try not to leave sticky bits on jam jars or spill Ribena. If sugar is so lethal for humans just think of the havoc it has on the wellbeing of an ant. We must all play our part to avert a tragedy."

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