Here Comes the Sun … and here Come the Ants! 

This months news article from Avon Pest Control puts a huge spotlight on how you can deal with any summer ant problems. Summer ants are a common nuisance pests in Britain and known for crashing your garden BBQ’s as uninvited guests. Ants tend to show up in overwhelming numbers during the summer. Although these pests rarely transmit diseases, they can be difficult to get rid of and can easily take over living spaces. This is especially true for areas where food or moisture are present such as kitchens and bathrooms. During the summer, these uninvited guests or intruders can run rampant throughout the home as they search for food and shelter.

Whilst ants are not believed to carry diseases, or present a risk to human health, they do walk through various unsanitary substances before making their way into your kitchen cupboards, rendering your food unsuitable to eat.  Some ant varieties can also deliver a painful sting. This, combined with their tendency to present in large numbers, makes the ant a very annoying pest problem.

There are more than 10,000 known different species of ant worldwide.  As ants are cold-blooded, they tend to prefer warmer climates.  Due to this, there are only around 50 species of ant found in the UK.  The most common 3 types in England are the Black Garden Ant (Lasius Niger), the Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius Flavus), and the Red Ant (Myrmica rubra).  Ants in the UK and are much less active in the winter months when the weather is too cold for them. During this time, ants can hibernate, or “over winter.”  The UK has recently experienced some very hot weather, which no doubt woke up our sleeping picnic pests!

Why are there Ants in My Home?

Ants most often enter human houses in search of food and fluids.  They may also take up residence for protection

What should I do if I See an Ant?

If you see one ant, you can pretty much guarantee its friends aren’t too far behind.  Try Avon Pest Control’s top tips to help improve the problem:

• Watch where the ant goes. By doing this you should be able to identify entry/exit points.  Once you have done this, seal it up to help prevent ants from re-entering your home
• Keep it clean! Ants love sweet substances; any sugary drink spillages or cake crumbs would make an ant’s day!  Be sure to wipe all surfaces and worktops before and after preparing food, and keep on top of washing dishes
• Good housekeeping…Ensure food is kept in airtight containers to prevent ants from infesting your food
• Have a securely fitted lid on your kitchen bin, and keep outside bins away from your house

What if I’m Still Finding Ants in My Home?

Here’s why: Ants rely on a scent left by their scouts to guide the workers from their colony to specific food sources in your home. The trail is made of pheromones, natural chemicals the ant’s deposit along their route, like a trail of breadcrumbs.

Ants are so tiny they can gain entry via the smallest of cracks, and a crumb is a feast!  This can mean they are difficult to fully remove.  Here at Avon Pest Control we recommend acting fast, preferably before winged adults swarm and mate in the late summer months.

To effectively remove ants from your home, you need to eradicate the whole colony.  This includes the one or more egg-laying queens, worker ants and the grubs.  To do this, it is important to bait the worker ants into taking environmentally friendly, but not ant friendly, poison back to the nest to eat.  This process can take several weeks but is necessary to ensure the queen does not survive and lay more eggs, prolonging the infestation.

A fallen piece of sweet pastry dropped anywhere could attract an army of black ant workers.

Locating the ant’s nest can be difficult, as each ant species construct their nests in different areas, therefore Avon Pest Control recommends contacting a professional pest control company to sort your pest problem for you.

If ants have invaded your property, call Avon Pest Control today on 01926 632 929 or 01789 293 463, or click here for all our contact information.  Our qualified, responsible technicians will happily discuss your pest problem and provide friendly, expert advice.

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