I also noticed they aren’t attracted to most food. I left an apple slice & peanut butter on my coffee table last night for a cpl hrs. Believe me, they love apple & I previously not seen that many at one time, didn’t touch the PB. But funny u mentioned water, after spraying the apple with dish soap & water (instant death) I put submerged the plate in the kitchen sink. This am, the tiny little critters were on the a couple dish edges above the water line. I don’t think they swim & showed no desire to get back in the water to escape. Baffling that I can’t determine how they arrived on those little islands. Same on my coffee table, they just appear, no trail coming or going. First year I ever had any ants. Fumigated but no apparent effect. To your point, bait doesn’t work. Baffled.