Professional ant control
We control ant infestations in homes and businesses in Reading, Wokingham and Woodley; are ants a real pest problem?
They can be a vector for bacteria and help spread disease, ants in a food production or food handling site like a restaurant can be a major issue.
What type of ants do we get in our homes in Berkshire?
Our native ants can be a problem during the warmer months of the year when they appear inside properties and they become a nuisance especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
These tend to be our native species of ant and we treat these with strong broad-spectrum pesticides.
Effective, professional ant control from a local company
There are new invasive species of ants that are proving to be a lot more difficult to control and reaching for the ant powder is the last thing that you want to do. A new invader is the Pharaoh ant which has been bought in from North Africa. These ants are equipped to survive and unlike our native ant that can be treated with over the counter pesticides these will multiple if they are treated like this.
The Pharaoh ants are incredibly small and inflict a painful bite, if treated incorrectly the colony becomes stressed; when this happens, the workers will remove eggs from the ant nursery and split into numerous groups. Within these small groups, the workers will manipulate the eggs to form a Queen ant, this is so the ‘bud’ can now have their own Queen and begin rebuilding the colony.
This means that rather than one single colony, you’ll now have multiple colonies that all share the same DNA, this means that when workers meet up they will assist each other and take food to any nest.
What you created is a super colony which will be more efficient and expand more quickly, producing more ants which in turn will mean that somewhere else, someone reaches for the ant powder.
Pharaoh ants are common in hospitals, blocks of flats and in terraced housing and they need to be treated with the correct chemicals; one reason why pest control should always be left to the professionals.
Signs of an ant infestation:
Ants overrunning on exposed food
Ants in kitchen cupboards searching for food debris
Ant trails – distinctive lines of ants traveling backwards and forwards on an invisible path
You see stray ants outside of the heavily affected areas; these are scouts searching for fresh food opportunities
Ant nests outside your home, this shows up in gaps between paving slabs, the junction of the patio and the house and in block paved driveways. Look for excavated material being ejected by the worker ants as they enlarge their nest
Can ants be harmful to our health?
We have a problem with flying ants, can you help us?
Flying ants can be a real nuisance in the summer and when you see swarms of flying ants this is the nuptial flight from this years colony, all the males and all the new Queen ants take to the wing at the same time to mate and then start setting up a new colony.
Ant treatment for these is easy and you can do this for yourself – these ants won’t be interested in eating poison baits or gels just yet, so spray the flying ants with over the counter insecticidal fly spray.
Do you have a problem with ants in Reading, Wokingham or Woodley?
Read our frequently asked questions.
Do ants bite or sting?
Many ants will give you a nip and some ants such as the fire ants can pack a powerful sting, others can spray formic acid, this is how they defend their nest from predators.
Why do we have ants from the garden living inside our house?
Ants travel about searching for food and dry places to build their colony, defects and small gaps under door frames often allow these ants to get inside our homes. Ants work using a positive pheromone trail; once a scout finds its way inside and to a food source it will lay a trail bringing more ants back to the supply. You can sometimes see trails of ants all moving back and forth on an invisible highway.
How many ants could you find inside a nest?
Our native garden ant, the black ant can have colonies that can house over 15,000 worker ants, usually they are much smaller in size around half this figure. Some of the exotic ants like the Pharaoh ant can have colonies that stretch for miles containing countless numbers; given the fact that the ants are all related and will work for each other.
Frequently asked questions about ants
What happens to ants in winter?
Ants are masters at overwintering in their underground nests, as the temperature drops, they become inactive forming clusters of ants grouped around their Queen to keep her warm. When the temperature rises so they become active once again emerging from their nest.
Do ants bite?
Most of the UK’s ants are capable of giving us a nip from their powerful mandibles but these aren’t painful, some ants such as invasive fire ants can squirt a form of acid which although not strong enough to cause pain may lead to a allergic reaction in some people.
Why do flying ants appear?
This occurs in July and August and it is the nuptial flight of each particular species of ant, you’ll see that there are smaller flying ants and larger ones – the Kings and Queens who will fly off to mate. Once they have mated their wings fall off so flying ants only lasts a day or so.
Problems with ants? Give us a call.
If you have a problem with ants then just give us a call and we will have one of our technicians out to you within 24 hours. We offer low cost ant treatments in Reading, Wokingham, Woodley and throughout Berkshire.