The Garden Ant (Black Ant).

antsThe garden ant is black in colour and has a segmented body, workers are 5mm in length and the queen is 15mm long.

The garden ant is found mostly in gardens in the UK and will forage from their nests, which are usually located in gardens in the soil and lawns close to buildings. They can cause a nuisance by entering kitchens in the search for sweet foods to take back to the nest and queen. Garden ants do not carry germs or spread disease but are mainly a nuisance due to their foraging habits.

Garden ants will swarm in mid to late summer when the males mate with the females whilst in flight. The males then die, the females lose their wings and hibernate to create new colonies the following year. Although the life cycle is complete in two months given favourable conditions nests may persist in the same place for many years.

The majority of black or garden ants will only come into your home to forage for food and are attracted by sweet substances. You can reduce the risk of ant activity indoors by

  • Clear away food and liquid spillages immediately
  • Clean food debris from under kitchen appliances
  • Make sure all stored food is sealed correctly
  • Block holes where the ants are entering the property

Hiring a reputable pest control company like EnviroGuard to deal with a black ant infestation in a responsible and professional manner will help to achieve quick control.

The Pharaoh’s Ant

The Pharaoh’s Ant is of tropical origins and is smaller in size the workers being only 2mm long and the queen only 5mm long, both are yellow in colour.

Because the Pharaoh’s Ant is of tropical origins it requires artificial heat to survive and reproduce. They tend to live mainly in large heated buildings such as flats and hospitals and have unpleasant diets such as decomposing foodstuffs. The Pharaoh’s Ant can carry harmful germs picked up when feeding. They are very difficult to eradicate.

The Pharaoh’s Ant develops many colonies within the same nest which will have several queens. Once nests become overcrowded, adults and workers will carry off eggs and larvae to new sites to form new colonies. Although the life cycle is the same as the garden ant the fact that they live in heated buildings means that they are not affected by the seasons. They are extremely difficult to control due to the large number of colonies formed.

The control of Pharaoh’s Ants is very difficult, Hiring a reputable pest control company like EnviroGuard to deal with a pharaohs ant infestation, will give the best chance of complete control.

All Pesticides used in the control/treatment of insects pests are selective and applied to ensure public safety. Our Pest Control Technicians will also be pleased to give advice on the safety of animals where pesticides have been used.

For further details about Pharaohs ants or to book a program of treatments, please enquire online or give us a call.