Ants seem to be a permanent fixture in all our lives when the warm weather rolls around. Whether it’s spotting a few wandering around your kitchen, watching a trail marching across your floor or even stumbling on a whole nest a couple of steps from your front door, there’s no escaping these tiny menaces. With the right pest control methods, you can keep them at bay.
Ants (at least, the common black garden ant that is prevalent in the UK) are especially noticeable in July and August as this is when huge numbers of male worker ants and young potential queen ants will develop wings to mate in the air during what’s known as “nuptial flights” and eventually begin a new colony.
You may well have heard the term “Flying Ant Day” thrown around, particularly when a large number of ants conducted their nuptial flights at Wimbledon during The Championships. On Wednesday 5th July the insects were so large they could be seen on television and disrupted a match between British players Johanna Konta and Aljaz Bedene.
Even if your particular pest problem isn’t as disturbing as an invasion of giant flying ants, you’ll no doubt be looking into pest control methods that can prevent them making their way into your home. As we’ve said before, prevention is always the best way to defend your property against unwanted intruders (tiny, six-legged ones at least.)
What to Do to Defend Against Ants
Prevent Access to Food
Ants, like many pest insects, are attracted to sweet foods. If you’ve ever seen an abandoned ice-lolly melt on the pavement, you’ll know it’s only a matter of minutes before it’s set upon by a sticky, purposeful, swarm of ants.
To make your home or business less of a target, you should be sure to seal away foods, particularly sweet ones. You should also make a point of sealing indoor bins and moving outdoor bins away from the entrances to your property.
Close Off Access Routes
Ants seem to appear from nowhere, but we assure you, there will be an entrance point that they’re using. For the most thorough defence, you should take a walk around your property and make a note of any small holes, cracks and crevices that can provide access for pest insects. Then, it’s simply a case of sealing them up. You’re likely able to take care of this with some sealing putty that you can buy from any DIY shop. However, if you have more serious damage such as cracked windows or broken stonework, you’ll need to get it repaired or replaced.
Try Over-the-Counter Ant Killers
Products specifically targeted at pest control for ants are common and some can be very effective. There are three main categories of ant pest control products; gel, spray and powder. Gel products are usually contained in traps and will attract ants with bait, whereas sprays and powders are simply distributed near entry points and ant pathways and will kill ants as they walk through it and pick up the poison.
These kinds of pest control products will usually help with a small infestation and can be great as a preventative measure when ants are in their highest numbers. However, if you already have a large and established infestation, it would be best to call in a professional.
The pest control experts at Safeguard have over 30 years of experience in dealing with infestations of all types, so you can rest assured that we can take care of your problem, big or small. Get in contact today to discuss how we can help you.
