Ants, not the most menacing of pests in Ireland but dirty, annoying and a problem nonetheless. As the weather starts to improve it’s likely that we will start to see a lot more ants scurrying around than we have over the winter months.
As most ant species prefer warmer climates we don’t see very many in Ireland thankfully but the few species found here can be a nuisance when they get into your home.
Just last weekend I came home on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon to find a long chain of ants marching from my kitchen, across my conservatory floor. Being somewhat of a neat-freak and having the added awareness of working in the pest control industry and knowing that housekeeping is one of the best ways to avoid most pest infestations I had just completed a fairly comprehensive “spring clean” I was pretty surprised….
On further investigation of the my now suspiciously sticky kitchen floor I found the problem – some recently spilled orange juice on the tiles that hadn’t been properly cleaned up, how annoying! If there’s one thing I know about garden ants it’s that they won’t always stay outdoors, they follow food sources and they certainly have a sweet tooth so the first thing to do was re-mop the floors before dealing with the nest.
Nests can be found in a number of locations in and around the home, such as in cavity walls, under flag stones and patios etc. and though they aren’t thought to carry diseases, you don’t know where they’ve been foraging outside so you won’t want them marching around your kitchen or through your cupboards.
An ant infestation can become a real pain if not treated effectively so we’ve put together some handy tips to try and keep your home ant free.
Dr Colm Moore, Technical Manager at Rentokil has kindly shared with us the following tips for preventing ant infestations. The majority of black garden ants will only come in to your home to forage for food and are attracted by sweet and sticky substances. Take the following precautions to keep your home ant free:
• Clear away food and liquid spillages immediately
• Clean food debris from under kitchen appliances
• Make sure all rubbish bins have tightly sealed lids
• Clear away your pet’s food after eating
• Seal access points such as cracks and crevices in door and window frames
• Always cover food, you don’t know where the ant has been before it crawls across your food!
DIY pest control is option people often turn to for small pest problems like this but it may not always be the best option so we’ve busted a few myths for you!
Three Ant Myths Busted
• Boiling Water Gets Rid of Ant. This only provides a temporary solution as the main nest is usually too deep for such a remedy to work effectively.
• Vinegar kills ants. Vinegar doesn’t kill ants. However, it can remove the trace of ants to confuse ants about where to go to find the rest of their colony.
• Feeding ants grains will cause them to explode. Ants don’t eat solid food, so while they may carry grains of rice or wheat back to their colony, ants will not explode by eating them.
Rentokil Methods of Ant Control include residual sprays and baits and our new External Ant Bait Stations provide safe and effective ant control.
For more information on this product or for some expert pest control advice from one of our team check out our website on www.rentokil.ie today.
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