Black ants
About black ants
Black ants live in colonies with a single queen and hundreds of thousands of workers. These colonies are often found under rocks and paving stones outdoors, and sometimes go several metres underground. In the garden the ants will search for flower nectar and will 'milk' aphids for the sweet liquid called honeydew which they excrete.
Black ants can also live in the foundations of houses. From the foundations of house, they may then travel up into the house itself where they are attracted to sweet-smelling foods such as jam and sugar. When one ant finds something to eat, it communicates the discovery to other ants nearby who will also travel to that source. Once they have been attracted into a house, they can be very difficult to get rid of.
Why are they such a problem?
Black ants are mainly a nuisance species. The bacteria carried on their feet can spoil food. In gardens, their excavations around plant roots may cause excessive dryness of the soil. They may also cultivate greenfly, which are also pests, in order to obtain the honeydew secretions that they produce. Flying swarms of mating ants may cause great distress to people who do not know what they are.
What happens during our visit?
Firstly our technician will assess the problem so they can treat appropriately. They will assess what needs treating on an individual basis.
The technician will usually spray areas in order to create a barrier around your home. This may include doors, window frames, air bricks and around pipes. Any nests that the technician has located will also be sprayed.
The technician may also use gel bait, which is eaten by the ants and poisons them. Don't worry, as this product is perfectly safe when applied by professionals.
Our treatment is ultimately designed to keep black ants out of your house and in the outdoor spaces where they belong.
Important information
The insecticide we use is residual. This means an active film of the insecticide remains active for up to four weeks to prevent the need for frequent reapplication. Therefore it is important not to wash the treated areas for at least 3-4 weeks as this will wash our insecticide away reducing efficiency and effectiveness.
Pharaoh's Ants
About Pharaoh’s Ants
Pharaoh's ants got their name because it was mistakenly thought that they were one of the plagues of ancient Egypt mentioned in the Bible. They prefer buildings with permanent heating and are a serious pest of hospitals and blocks of flats.
Foods with a high protein or carbohydrate content are attractive to Pharaoh's ants and they may feed on substances including dandruff and dog food. They are so small that they can climb up the spiral threads of jar lids and get past poor seals. They also need regular supplies of water and are often first noticed in sinks and toilets where a trail of them can be seen following each other’s footsteps.
Why are they such a problem?
These ants carry a number of pathogenic bacteria onto food and utensils where they can cause food poisoning and other infections.
What happens during our visit?
Pharaoh's ants are particularly difficult to treat. The nests are very hard to locate and remove as they are usually made deep within the fabric of the building and spread over a number of places.
Spraying with an insecticide is not a solution as this will only kill off worker ants which the colony can easily replace. Furthermore, spraying can encourage the production of multiple colonies, by promoting the production of more queens which in turn establish new nests and spread the infestation further.
A good solution is to use insect growth regulators (IGR) which sterilise the queen preventing the colony from producing young and causing the ants to die of old age. This treatment may be slow but it's the most long-term effective solution.
The insect growth regulator is used in small sachets which will be left around your property in areas where the ants are likely to forage. The sachets have sticky backs so can be easily secured to fridges, tiles, cupboards etc. On taking the grains back to the nest, the treatment begins to work, disrupting the lifestyle of the colony and stopping the production of fertile eggs. The nest gradually dies out with workers dying at the end of their natural life span and not being replaced by new worker ants.
We would typically need to attend the property 5 times. Once to inspect and place baits as required. We would then need to return on day 7, 21 and 49 following the first visit to refresh (top up) the baits. On Day 112 we would visit for the final time to remove baits.
