Ant Control
Ants are usually divided into two groups based on their typical nesting preferences, either wall nesting or ground nesting. The biology and habits of each species are different. The most common wall nesting ant that we deal with is the Pharaoh Ant and the most common nesting ground ants are the common Black Ant.
Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects. They are social insects that live in colonies, which are usually located in the ground, but may enter buildings for shelter and/ or food. They feed on practically on any food, but those entering homes are looking for sweets and/or protein containing substances.
Habits
Their life is mainly spent outside in the soil and under paving slabs etc. but because of the foraging for food they enter indoors and become a problem. As they forage for food they leave scent trails for the other ants to follow which is why you see long lines of ants. They are a very social insect that is the reason you see them in large numbers.
In addition to the Pharaoh’s ant, there are a number of other tropical species now seen in the UK.
The Ghost ant is 1.5-2mm in length and has a pale, almost translucent body and legs with a dark head.
Crazy ants are so-called because of their erratic and rapid behaviour, unlike other ants that normally move in orderly trails. These ants are black and approximately 2.5-3mm in length with very long legs and longer antennae than most ants.
Roger’s ants differ from other ants in that they forage for live prey, especially silverfish or the larvae of little flies. They are a reddish-brown in colour, male worker ants are approximately 2-3mm long and winged females approximately 3.5mm in length.
The Argentine ant is small and slender, around 3mm long and dark honey-coloured. A particularly aggressive and invasive species of ant, the Argentine ant is especially difficult to eradicate.
It is essential to identify which species you are dealing with before any treatment is carried out as tropical ants are particularly difficult to eradicate because of the nature of their colonies, having multiple queens and an ability to form new colonies once disturbed and scattered. For this reason, a DIY treatment will probably aggravate the situation and increase the level of infestation.
There are a number of different types of insecticides and baits available that work in different ways we at Vale Pest Control will be able to identify the ants correctly and advise on the best method of treatment for the ant variety and level of infestation.
Products available to the average consumer may alleviate a small problem temporarily, but as ant nests can be very large, may not eradicate them totally.
Reasons for Control
Loss of goods and quality, loss of goodwill, prevention of damage, prevention of contamination.
For further information see Black Ant Control and Pharoah Ant Control
For pricing see Service and Prices