Garden Ants
What do they look like?
The black or garden ant is the commonest British ant to enter
houses and it is found in almost all parts of the country. The
worker is very dark brown, almost black, and about 5mm long. The
queen, which is rarely seen except for certain months in the
Summer, is about 15mm long and mid-brown in colour.
Where do they live?
The queen makes the nest in the soil, in grassed areas beneath
paving and patios and sometimes in hollow trees. The nests are
usually outside buildings although sometimes they may be found in
the walls or foundations of a house.
What do they eat?
The foraging workers follow well-defined trails to their
feeding grounds, which may be many metres from the nest. They enter
buildings, often through very narrow crevices, and if one ant finds
food, there will soon be many others. Ants foraging for food in
houses may cause considerable nuisance to the householder.
Pest status
Worker ants will frequently enter dwellings foraging for food,
particularly sweet substances. While not a risk to human health,
they can be present in sufficient numbers to cause a
nuisance.
The emergence of numerous winged ants (usually on a hot day in
summer) can cause alarm to some people, particularly if these
'flying ants' are emerging inside a building. These flying ants may
be a nuisance, but they are harmless and nothing can be done to
stop them swarming.
Control
Insecticidal dusts are an effective treatment
against garden ants; these can be purchased from hardware shops,
do-it-yourself shops and garden centres. The dust should be puffed
lightly into void spaces, cracks and crevices where the nests may
be located.
Insecticidal aerosols: suitable for crawling
insects can be used for spraying into cracks and crevices, and for
application as a band around skirting boards, door frames, air
bricks and other access points. Flying ants can be treated with any
aerosol suitable for the control of flying insects.
Bait formulations: these products rely upon
worker ants taking the bait back to the nest and sharing it with
other ants.
When using pesticides always follow the instructions
on the label.