Tiny ants attracted to water

[gestapoid]

I have a mild infestation of an extremely tiny species of red/orange ant that is obsessed with water, and to a lesser degree, sugary foods. I find them most often balled up in the tank of my Keurig machine, but I also find them near my kitchen and bathroom sinks. They are also very interested in the shelf in my pantry with sugary foods.

I'm curious as to what kind of ant this is. I have lived in the south most of my life (currently in Houston), so I am familiar with fire ants and these are smaller than those. Obviously, I would also very much appreciate ideas on how to get rid of them. Spray works for a while but its messy. The baits don't seem to work. I have all of the food in my pantry in double lock bags now but they still are obsessed with that one (and only) shelf even though they can't get to the food. The only thing that seems to get rid of them is rain, and I can't control that.

[bcp]

Living in the woods, we have had ant problems, At one point they got into the walls and nested in the insulation. It was not uncommon to come into the kitchen and find a few hundred of them covering the counter, in the sink on the stove etc... As you can imagine, this was not acceptable.
I went to the hardware store and purchased some Boric Acid. I then mixed it with syrup, Aunt Jemima I think, until it was a fairly thick consistency. I put it on pieces of cardboard and placed it on the counter the first night. (lock up cats if you have them so they cant get at it) The ants swarmed by the thousands to get at this food supply, and they brought it back to their nest.
the next night, I placed some under the kitchen sink in the cabinet, and a few other locations that the cats could not get to.
A couple weeks of increased activity because of the food supply, and the ants were gone. I might see one now and again, but nothing like it was.
they collect the Boric Acid mixture and take it back to the nest, the ants feed on it and it builds up in their system until it kills them. The queen is dependent on the food the workers bring back, so I suspect she might be one of the first to go.
Give it a try. Cheap, easy and if you can take the millions of ants that show up to feed when you do it, they will be gone.