Garden Ants

What do they look like?

What are their habits?

Common in houses, buildings and gardens during the summer months, garden ants form distinctive trails in lines often extending indoors from outside as they forage for food away from the nest
Nests are often close to buildings and associated with warm sandy soil under paving stones, patios and conservatories. Occasionally nests are found in the base of walls or in the under-floor voids of buildings
Garden ants have a single queen colony and the life of a nest and its queen can last several years
Foraging parties bring back a wide variety of foodstuffs from sweet sugary secretions taken from aphids and black-fly to seeds and insects.

How do they breed?

Fertilised queen garden ants dig into the soil creating a cell in which eggs are laid
After 3-4 weeks eggs hatch into grubs which are then nourished with rich salivary secretions from the queen
After 3 weeks grubs pupate and 2 weeks later worker ants emerge and set about feeding the queen and the developing grubs within the nest
Collectively they work for the good of the nest defending the queen and moving larvae if they have to
On hot days in late summer, small winged males emerge and mate with larger winged queens as they emerge and disperse from the nest. After mating males quickly die and queens shed their wings in search of a suitable nest site
Swarming behaviour occurs when ant activity is at its peak.

Danger Signs

Garden ants - lines of foraging ants moving inside or into buildings from outside
Entry points may be indicated by signs of excavation or freshly dug earth around door frames or wall-floor junctions
Winged ant swarms inside or outside of the building.

Problems and Business Consequences

Whilst not a specific risk to public health, foraging ants in kitchens and office areas can represent a nuisance. Indoors they would be particularly attracted to sweet residues or food waste and can gather in numbers
Unlike exotic tropical ants which can occur in large buildings and hospitals, garden ants are not known to carry any specific pathogens or diseases.

Steps to Take Yourself

Ensure good standards of hygiene and housekeeping, especially in food handling and waste storage areas
Observe entry points and, if holes are present along the base of door frame or wall floor junctions –especially in kitchens or conservatories, seal the holes with silicon sealant, mortar or cement to reduce the risk of ant access
Note the areas where ant activity is found
Promptly remove food waste or spillages and cover foodstuffs.

How Cannon Can Help

Cannon Pest Control has BPCA qualified staff who are available to provide a fast response and give expert advice
Cannon is able to identify infestations and their likely source and provide a solution to control infestations, monitoring pre and post treatment activity . It will recommend and implement the optimum solution for the problem including necessary specialist treatments.