Ants
Key
Features of Ants
The commonest species that invades UK houses
is the Black Garden Ant, which is actually very dark
brown. The worker ants, which are likely to enter properties
when foraging for food, are 3 to 5mm in length.
All ants have the main divisions of the body (head,
thorax and abdomen) distinctly separated by very narrow
waists. They also have a sharp elbow joint in their
antennae.
Biology of Ants
Ants are highly organised social insects, with
each nest being centred around one reproductive female,
the queen, and her sterile daughters, the workers. It
is the foraging workers that invade buildings in search
of sweet foodstuffs, which they take back to the nest
to feed the larvae and queen.
“Flying ants” are the reproductive males
and females – the potential queens. They have
a nuptial swarming flight during a few days in July
and August, typically just after stormy weather. The
males die shortly after mating and the females seek
out nesting sites to build new colonies in the following
spring.
Distribution of Ants
Black Ants are common throughout Europe, Asia,
northern Africa and North America.
Significance of Ants
Black Ants usually nest in soil but can also
be found living under paving stones and concrete. They
can become real nuisance pests because during foraging,
the workers may enter domestic, commercial and industrial
premises – particularly food preparation areas
– in search of sweet foodstuffs.
The mating swarms can also cause a short-term nuisance,
although this lasts only a few days.
Control of Ants
Following the trail of workers and scouts back
to the nest is the best way to establish the source
of the infestation. From here there is a variety of
ways to control and remove the infestation:
- Restricting access to the nest.
- Gel baits, which the workers carry back to the nest
to feed the queen. These sweet gels are actually poisonous
to the ants.
- Strategically placed insecticide barriers to prevent
the ants from entering the property.
Good hygiene is also vital to avoid attracting the
ants back to food sources.
