Ant facts
- Ants are eusocial insects from the Formicidae family, related to wasps and bees.
- They form colonies ranging in size, up to tens of thousands.
- Ants make up to 25% of the world’s terrestrial animal biomass!
- The most common ant in the UK is the Black or Garden Ant (Lasius Niger).
- Black ants like to nest in dry, sandy soil and are omnivorous.
- Ants can pick up pathogens (harmful bacteria) on their bodies when they feed on and walk across waste, which can spread as they crawl across worksurfaces and other areas in your property
What you can do
- Ants are attracted by any food residue, paticularly with a high sugar content:
- Clean up any spills immediately.
- Eat in designated areas (not at your desk).
- Empty bins frequently.
If you have an ant problem, we will…
- Get to know your colony! We need to eliminate the ants you don’t see as these are the source of the ones that you do see. We will watch your ant trail to determine how they are getting in/out of your property.
- We will bait the trails that the ants are using. Worker ants will take the bait back to feed the queen and her young.
- Remove other food sources but be careful not to wipe away the scent trail that worker ants are following as these will lead them to the bait.
- After several days the bait should have been taken back to the nest (be patient!). Sometimes, depending on the size of the colony, we might need to top up the baits
- If it is appropriate, we might apply a residual insecticide spray.
- We will look for any proofing issues that might be allowing ants into your property; for example, sealing around windows, doors, cables, pipes and wire entry points.