This week we’re talking about ants. You may have been seeing a lot of so called “Flying Ants” already despite it only being the start of Summer. Flying ants are actually reproductive males and females.
These ants have a nuptial swarming flight during the months of July and August. Their mating takes place in the air but only last a few days.
After mating the female finds a nest where she stays during Winter, laying eggs during the following Spring so that a new colony is started.
Lots of people dislike “flying ants” and worry when they find a swarm in or around their property but it’s important to remember that this is a natural reproductive cycle and it will only last a few days.
If you can wait it out, you’ll let the natural cycle continue and be ant-free within days!
However, we do understand that there are occasions when flying ants cause a real problem, for example, in businesses that serve food to the public.
Whilst ants aren’t thought to carry disease, because they forage inside and out they can carry unwanted matter with them.
It’s important to find the nest so the problem can be dealt with. Often you may see mounds of earth or you may witness these fascinating creatures marching back and forth to from the nest to food source.
There’s different species of ants too. The most common one that people are aware of is the black garden ant. The black ant isn’t actually black but very dark brown.
All species of ants have the same body – head; thorax and abdomen. They are about 3-5mm in length and have narrow waists and a sharp joint in their antennae.
Other species of ant include the Pharaoh ant which prefers protein to the sweet food that the common black garden ant prefers. They can often be found in centrally heated blocks of flats and they build numerous and often inaccessible nests in the structure of the building itself.
There’s also the less common ghost ant which are a paler colour but similar to the pharaoh ant. Its best to call in pest professionals to control these ants as finding and treating the nests can be difficult.
If you’re unsure what type of crawling insect you have – not a problem! Give us a call and we’ll come and take a sample and let you have the results with our fast and accurate insect identification service.
Why not use our LIVE CHAT facility on our website to find out how we can help you.
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