If you leave food out that’s sweet or particularly smelly, the Ants can track down and locate the food source within several meters. They can gain access into buildings under doors or through cracks and crevices.

Ants in general are foragers by nature, worker ants will scavenge for food many meters away from their nest, often in troops. Once a potential food source is located workers are quick to notify other ants by leaving a scent or pheromone trail. Other ants will promptly arrive to take the food back to the colony.

Numbers are dependant on species, the overall health of the colony and resources. Here are a few examples of common species that we deal with.

Lassius Niger (Black Garden Ant) up to around 7,000 workers on average.

Pharaohs Ants (Monomorium Pharaonis) up to 2,500 workers but can have many queens. Nests are often close together and can give the appearance of one giant colony.

Pavement Ants or Sugar Ants (Tetramorium Caespitum) between 7,000 and 10,000 workers on average. 

This is dependant on species. A queen Black Garden Ant has been known to live up to 30 years! But commonly they will last around several years. Worker Ants usually live between 3-5 years..

Not all species of Ant swarm. Our native UK Ant, the Black Garden Ant’s have a Nuptial flight, where the new queens and drones (males) will usually occur between July and September once every year.

The young queens mate on the wing, then fall back to the ground and set up their own, new colony. Usually not too far from the nest where they came from.

If you’ve heard people talking about flying ants, this is the swarm they are referring to.

We will have to carry out a survey to identify the Ants you are suffering with.
There are thousands of ant species worldwide, but in the UK where our climate is cooler, the Black Garden Ant and Pavement Ants are the most resilient species to live outdoors in nutrient-rich, moist environments.

Tropical ant species present in the UK such as Ghost Ants and Pharaoh’s Ants only survive with the warmth provided inside heated buildings in the UK.

Ants can bite, yes. The species we have in the UK aren’t particulary threatening or dangerous to people. You may feel a small pinch and a small red mark will usually appear after a bite.

A treatment will usually take anywhere between 7 and 14 days to gain control an Ant colony.
Professional use gel baits are currently the most efficient method to remove a colony of Ants as it stops nest production and eliminates the colony from the inside out.