Ant Control from Rentokil – Protecting Your Home & Family from Ant Problems

Ant Control from Rentokil

Dealing with Ant Problems in your Home

Although ants are an irritant when they come in to the home the most common species, the Garden Ant, is not thought to carry disease. However, as it is impossible to know where the ants were last foraging for food, it is sensible to take steps to prevent them entering your home and food cupboards.

Types of Ant Problem

There are thousands of different species of ant but the most common ones in this country are:

Garden Ants – worker ants 4-5mm but the Queen can be as big as 15mm. Queens lay their eggs in the spring in nests that are typically in soil but can be in brickwork or under bark. Garden Ants are attracted to sweet foods and leave a pheromone trail back to their nests for other ants to follow to the food source.

Pharoah’s Ants – worker ants are 1.5 -2mm long and the Queen is 4 - 6mm long. Both workers and the Queen are a yellow-brown colour. Pharoah’s Ants originate from the tropics and require artificial heat in order to survive and reproduce and tend to live in large heated buildings such as hospitals, hotels and blocks of flats. This ant’s diet is largely of decomposing foodstuffs and it carries harmful germs picked up from when it has been feeding.

Red Fire Ants - workers 3mm long and the Queen up to 6mm long. These ants are a reddish brown colour and live in colonies of up to 100,000 or more ants! Each colony is led by a Queen who lays between 150 and 200 eggs per day. Fire ants build mounds of up to 2 feet high to live in and these are usually built in open, sunny spaces. Fire ants sting both animals and humans and their sting is extremely painful.

How to keep Ants away

The majority of black or garden ants will only come in to your home to forage for food and are attracted by sweet and sticky substances. Ensure that there is no readily available food source in your home by:

• Always covering food – we do not know where the ant has been before it crawls across your food!
• Clear away food and liquid spillages immediately
• Clean food debris from under kitchen appliances
• Make sure all rubbish bins have tightly sealed lids Keep compost enclosed and covered
• Clear away your Pet’s food immediately it has finished eating

You can help prevent Ants entering your home by sealing access points such as cracks and crevices in door and window frames.

Professional ant control

Rentokil technicians understand the habits of each species and also have a range of powerful insecticides to deal with ants and provide the reassurance that the problem has been fully dealt with.

Rentokil offers a call-out service to deal with ant and other pest problems in the home. Our service is fast, effective and offers the highest level of safety for your family and pets.

If you would like further advice or to arrange a visit by a Rentokil technician, call us on (65) 63478138.