Ants

Risk/Damage

Garden/Black Ants are found more in the south of the UK in gardens and around buildings.  They go inside to forage for the sweet, sugary foods they enjoy.  They do not pose a health risk as they do not carry any diseases, although they can be a nuisance when they come indoors.

Pharaoh Ants need warm humid conditions and so are not usually found in ordinary domestic premises.  They are normally associated with the fabric of larger buildings e.g. residential blocks, hospitals, hotels etc. and tend to be more of a problem in larger cities such as London.  Pharaoh ants can be a health risk as they eat decomposing food and faecal matter, thus can carry and pass on harmful bacteria.

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Biology and Behaviour

There are two common species of ant in the UK.

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Life Cycle

In the spring, the queen ant makes a nest and lays eggs in it, which hatch into larvae in 3-4 weeks.  The larvae are fed by the queen and then they pupate.  The pupae hatch into worker ants which take over the mating duties.  In humid conditions, some ants will develop wings and swarm.  The whole life cycle takes about 2 months, but a nest may persist for several years.

The Pharaoh Ant life cycle is similar to the garden/black ant, except that they have several colonies with several queens.  As soon as one nest is full, they will form a new colony.

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Control

To control Garden/Black Ants, you can:

• find and destroy the nest, using boiling water or a proprietary ant dust/spray;
• keep sugary foods in sealed containers and clear up any spillages immediately;
• use sprays, lacquers to deter ants from coming inside and/or ant traps (available from most hardware and garden centres).

Treatments may take several weeks to become effective.  If you are concerned or have a particularly bad infestation you may wish to contact a private pest control company.

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