Re: Why do ants congregate in my kettle?

Well,when you said some drown, the obvious answer is that there is always a 
bit of water in you kettle and they "know" where it is. Ants like other 
living creatures need water to suvive these ants may be taking a bit if the 
water back to the nest to share with the young.  Without knowing where you 
are, it is hard to identify which ants they might be.  Some are tolerant of 
dry areas. Others are tropical and need more water.  Ants also mark the 
trail to sources of food and water by the use of pheromones. Without washing 
this scent off of your kettle especially the plastic on the outside and the 
counter where it is kept, the ants will continue to return. Ants don't 
really "remember" that they were thrown out, they just know to follow that 
scent. The other ants that are wandering around are looking for food and 
water, too.  That's how originally they found the water in the kettle.