Telephone: (023) 9244 6017
Email: customer.services@havant.gov.uk
Visit: Customer Services reception in the
atrium of the Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant PO9
2AX
Charges
Havant Borough Council can
offer treatment of Pharaoh Ants, but not for Garden Ants.
Link
to Pest Control charges information >>
About ants
The two types of ants commonly
encountered in Britain are the Garden Ant (below) and the
Pharaoh Ant (above). Pharaoh ants can represent a human health risk
due to their feeding nature and require professional treatment.
Garden ants do not spread disease but due to their attraction for
sugary food may become a health risk.
Description
The Garden Ant has a black segmented
body. The workers are 5mm in length and the queen is 15mm long and
brown in colour. Their nests are found in soil, lawns and close to
buildings.
The Pharaoh Ant, which is of
tropical origin, is a smaller species; the workers are only 2mm
long, the queen 5mm long and both are yellow in colour.
Distribution
The Garden Ant is found throughout
Britain and will nest in gardens and around buildings, often
entering premises in search of food. The Pharaoh Ant, in contrast,
requires a very warm environment and has adapted itself to life in
large heated buildings such as hospitals, hotels and flats.
Significance
The Garden Ant is a nuisance because
of its foraging habit but it does not carry germs or spread
disease. Garden Ants are attracted to sugary food; the presence of
ants in food, although unpleasant, does not, in itself, constitute
a health risk. Pharaoh Ants are of greater significance as they
carry harmful germs which they pick up when feeding on decomposing
food, faecal matter and when coming into contact with drains.
Life Cycle
Garden Ants mate in flight when
winged males and females swarm between mid July and mid September.
After mating the male dies and the female loses her wings and
buries herself in the soil over the winter. In late spring the
female lays eggs which hatch into white larvae in 3-4 weeks. The
larvae are fed by the queen and when fully grown pupate. The worker
ants which emerge from the pupae feed new larvae and the queen. The
life cycle is complete in two months and in favourable conditions
the nest may persist for several years.
In contrast the Pharaoh Ant develops
several colonies within each nest with many queens. As the old nest
becomes overcrowded new colonies are formed by eggs and larvae
carried by adults and worked.
The life cycle is the same as that
of the Garden Ant but the Pharaoh Ant, which favours heated
buildings, is not affected by seasonal changes. The ants' ability
to form many colonies makes them difficult to control.
What to look out for
The presence of ants is confirmed
when you can see them. So look out for:
- Trails of ants (visual sitings)
- Ants in and around food
- Ants in and around water sources
(such as sinks, bath tub, kitchen)
- Excavation around wall edges etc
Control
There are several measures that you
can take to control Garden Ants:
- Identify and destroy the nest using boiling water or a
proprietary insecticidal dust or spray, used around the nest and
openings in buildings.
- If the nest is not accessible there is a gel or an enclosed ant
bait station available.
- Ensure that sugary foods are kept in sealed containers and all
food spillages are cleared up.
An infestation of Pharaoh Ants must
be professionally treated. Pest Control Officers will determine the
extent of the infestation and carry out the specific treatment
required to control them. Re-treatment will be required to control
them on three to four occasions to ensure that all the ants have
been eradicated.
Havant Borough Council does not have
a service to treat Garden Ants, therefore it is suggested that the
Pest and Vermin section in Yellow Pages is consulted.
Telephone: (023) 9244 6017
Email: customer.services@havant.gov.uk
Visit: Customer Services reception in the
atrium of the Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant PO9
2AX