Ants
- Sand piles throughout your paving or footpath ?
- Small black ants annoying you in your kitchen ?
- Brown ants on crumbs, dog bowls and skirtings ?
- Do you have rows and rows of ants entering your home ?
Ants come in all shapes, colours and sizes. In the past we didn’t have the technology with pesticides as we have today. These days we identify the ant problem then we treat them accordingly. Depending on the species, depends on the action taken. It may be baits, it may be sprays, it may be gels or granules but these days we have many plans of attack when we are dealing with ant infestations. It’s not easy; you just need the right tools and are persistent.
Ant treatments can be carried out over multiple visits. Generally it doesn’t just take one hit. Ants nest in paths, pavers, structural walls and roof voids. They don’t eat houses but love to nest in them.
Don’t get Ants confused with Termites (white ants), they are different.
Termites eat your home. They look like white ants but that is just their nickname. If you have black ants you can still have termites. Ants and termites can live in the same place. Ants are predators of termites but they will not stop them from attacking your home. See termites page for more information.
Identification Fact Sheet
- Ants have 3 x pair of legs;
- 3 x body segments;
- Ant’s eyes are compound eyes, similar to fleas. Some species have mediocre eyesight and some are even blind;
- Ants have a pair of antennae which always are bent (elbowed);
- They have mandibles which are used to carry food, dig, defend and also give a nasty bite;
- On their head they have feelers which are special smelling organs that pick up pheromones that ants release to communicate.
Habits/Lifestyles
Each individual ant has its own job within the colony. Ants have a Queen who lays eggs, Workers who build nests and tend to the Queen, Soldiers that are used for colony defence and Males whose only role is to mate with the new Queens.
Ants communicate through pheromone trails which are left behind to let the rest of the colony know which trail to follow for food, to get home or as an alarm to warn fellow ants there is trouble ahead.
Ants attach and defend themselves by biting and in many species, stinging and often injecting chemicals.
Typical ants that are classified as pests include Pavement Ants (otherwise known as the Sugar Ant), Pharaoh Ants, Carpenter Ants, Argentine Ants, Coastal Brown Ants and the Red Imported Fire Ant.
Ant populations are controlled with bait insecticides, which are either in the form of small granules or as a sticky liquid. This is gathered by the ants as food and then brought back to the nest which is then passed within the colony.
Treatments
Ant treatments can consist of 2x stage treatments. These treatments include an initial baiting procedure followed up with a liquid treatment to all garden areas one week later. The follow up isn’t always necessary as baiting procedures can work all by themselves.
Treatments will depend on the species, the inhabitants around the premises and the surrounding environment. Every job is different.
There are always new and improved ways to controlling ants so please feel free in asking us about our methods and different treatments.
Prevention
Ants are very annoying at the least of times. However just sealing cracks and crevices can deter or eradicate this problem. Cleaning up spilled foods or crumbs is an important lesson but sometimes it could just be water they are after. In these cases you may find them in baths, sinks so prevention is the key in these situations.
Black dust is also found on skirting boards or benches. This dust is ants throwing out dead bodies or just dropping nesting material from above. The dust is usually found below a small gap in your window sill or architrave. This dust problem is easily fixed – run a bit of “No More Gaps” along the gap, this will seal the problem. You may not have even noticed any ants, well this is good. If ants are not annoying you then don’t annoy the ants. Treatments to these concealed areas are very hard without drilling holes in gyprock or outside panelling. So if they aren’t annoying you, don’t worry normal ants won’t eat your home.
If you find mud in an architrave, gyprock wall or door frame, go straight to our TERMITE PAGE. Please do not disturb them. Have a qualified termite inspector look at them first so they can then recommend the best possible solution for you.