Common Black Ant Garden Ant
(lasius niger)

 

Adult size (approx.): 0.2 - 0.3cm

 

Ants – Ant problems inside your home can be an uncomfortable experience! In their search for food ants are persistent and can be difficult to get rid of, also nests are commonly not accessible. How to get rid of ants. Essex & Herts Pest Control use the latest pesticides to kill ants and their nests.

 

We provide one-off ant treatments for both residential and commercial properties.

Habitat

Ants form nests in gardens, paving, foundations of buildings and even on the inside of buildings. There is one Queen per nest with multiple workers. The workers are very active foraging on a wide variety of foods including sweet substances, seeds and Insect secretion.

Biology

Egg – Larvae – Pupae - Adult
Eggs: laid by the Queen
Larvae: legless Grubs fed by the workers. They are fully grown in 3 weeks.
Pupae: Develop in 2 weeks, guarded by the workers.
Adults: Workers are dark brown/black in colour and 3-5mm in length. Queens are winged living for several years, approx 12mm in length.

Importance

Foraging workers are found to be more nuisance than a risk. Sexual forms (Flying Ants) emerge in large numbers close to or inside houses normally around the summer season.

Control

Control of Ants is normally necessary when they become a nuisance inside buildings. A residual spray treatment would take place to the perimeter of the building externally and then internally if necessary. Proofing can be provided with the use of sealants. Baiting can also take place with the use of gel baits.

Pharaohs Ant (monomorium pharaonis)

Adult size (approx.): 0.2

Habitat

The Pharaohs Ant is a tropical species found only in heated buildings in the UK. They are very small, mobile and active at all times of day. Nests are large and unstructured, found normally in cavities of buildings and ducting. The nest has many Queens. The workers can be found in trails from food sources leading back to the nest. They forage on a wide range of foods and need access to water. Infestations spread by budding. This is when groups of workers and sometimes Queens leave the main nesting site to form satellite colonies.

Biology

Egg – Larvae – Pupae - Adult
Eggs: laid by the Queen within the nest, hatching 1-3 weeks later.
Larvae: legless Grubs fed by the workers, fully grown 3-4 weeks later.
Pupae: develop in approx 2 weeks, guarded by the workers in the nest.
Adults: workers are wingless approx 2mm in length with a white/yellowish colouring. Queens have wings and normally stay in the nest. They have a minimum development temperature of 18 degrees centigrade and an optimum development temperature of 30 degrees centigrade.

Importance

The Pharaohs Ant has been known to carry disease organisms. Due to their small size, they can penetrate packaging of foods and sterile materials, causing contamination. This also means they can spread very quickly throughout a building creating satellite nests, possibly transferring to neighbouring buildings.

Control

Successful control is only by gel baiting. Residual spray treatments is not a effective solution.