Ants, Garden Ants and Pharoahs Ants
The Black Ant is common in many countries around the world. The
queen will lay eggs toward the end of spring and the larvae will
hatch around a month later.
Nests will usually be found in soil and under paving slabs and
patios. The workers ants will be seen foraging for food, and can
cause a real nuisance when they trail into the home or workplace
looking for sweet or high protein foods.
Later on in summer, swarms of flying ants will mate usually in
July and late August. The male will then die and the female will
start the process all over again.
When dealing with ants in the home and workplace, the most
effective deterrent is to remove all food sources and clean any
spillages. To treat the problem at the source there are a number of
methods from gels (that are taken back by workers ants to kill the
queen) to powders and liquid insecticides.
The Pharaohs Ant is very different from the Black Ant and can be
a serious public health pest. Commonly found in large centrally
heated buildings such as hospitals and blocks of flats, these pests
can be very difficult to control, in fact when methods to control
black ants are used on Pharaohs ants, it can actually make the
infestation much worse.
Workers ants are approximately 2mm long, light yellow in colour
with a slightly darker abdomen. They will attack sweet and high
protein foods. Unlike Black ants each colony will have many nests
and queens, and each queen is capable of laying up to 350 eggs that
will hatch in around 7 days.
Specialist baits must be used to control Pharaohs Ants. When
conventional insecticides are used, this can split the workers ants
away and form a new colony making the infestation
worse.
If you suspect you have a problem with Pharaohs Ants, you can rely
on Clearup to carry out the correct course of treatment.