Garden ants
Garden ants and Pharaoh ants are the two most common found in the UK. You will find information about Garden Ants on the back of this fact sheet.
The pharaoh ant is a tiny ant, dull-yellowish to light orange in colour and not much more than 2.5mm long.
They prefer warm areas for nesting. Nesting sites include dark voids such as walls, cracks in woodwork, stacks of paper, envelopes, under appliances and carpets. They are often found near moisture such as kitchens and bathrooms.
They travel from room to room within the walls along the plumbing pipes or electrical wiring.
Pharaoh ants are found where food is available. They will eat almost anything and can easily get in to unopened packages. Pharaoh ants trail each other and are attracted to greasy or fatty foods, meats, sugary foods, and other dead insects. They are also attracted to freshly used bandages or soiled nappies. Because of their eating habits, they can contaminate food by wandering over it.
How can I get rid of them?
Treating for pharaoh ants yourself can make the problem worse. This is because if the ants are under attack they will split up and make several new colonies. A qualified pest control officer should perform treatment.
Service the council provides
A pest control officer will survey your property to see how bad the problem is.
This will depend on how easily we can view the area where the ants are.
Treatment for Pharaoh Ants takes up to an hour. A granular bait is used called Biopren BM, which attracts the ants and stops them from developing into adults. It is in a container, which can be easily stuck to surfaces such as tiles, fridges, cupboards and under basins.
Control can take up to 12 weeks and the Pest Officer will need to revisit 8 -10 weeks after the first appointment. We will contact you to make the revisit appointment. If the problem gets worse before we are due to revisit, please contact us.
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| Cash (£) | No | No | Yes |
Facts about garden ants
- Garden ants are harmless and are not a public health pest.
- They usually make their nests outdoors in lawns, flowerbeds, beneath paving stones and at the base of walls. During summer, winged females (Queens) and males leave the nest on one or two warm afternoons and take flight. During this flight the ants mate. They sometimes fly inside buildings.
- Worker ants usually go in to houses for food. They like food that is sweet and sugary. When one ant finds food, there will soon be others and a trail of worker ants taking the food back to the nest.
What can you do?
- We recommend that householders should treat for garden ants themselves. If possible, trace the trail of worker ants to the nest. You can usually see the opening to the nest by small piles of fine earth surrounding the entrance.
- If you cannot trace the nest, use an insecticidal dust or spray. The label should state that is for controlling crawling insects outside. Special attention should be paid to areas such as doorframes, airbricks and waste pipes. Try to create an insecticidal barrier. If you find ants indoors, the same insecticide can be used.
- Insecticides containing BENDIOCARB are usually found to be the most effective, but please make sure that:
- you follow the instructions on the label carefully.
- you take care not to contaminate food with insecticide.
- the product clearly states that it is suitable for use in and around the home.
Charges
There is a charge for the treatment of Ants for information about charges please contact Walsall Council?s Contact Centre or visit the Pest Control web pages.
How to contact us
If you would like further advice or need to make a pest control appointment please contact us:
First Stop Shop
Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1EU
Telephone 01922 653366
Minicom 0845 1112910
Email contactcentre@walsall.gov.uk
Website www.walsall.gov.uk
If you need help treating a garden ant infestation or have any questions, contact us on 01922 653366.
For further information please view our ants factsheet (PDF 70KB).
This page was last updated on 22 January 2010