Got Ants?

Finally, spring has arrived. It's a great time to throw a barbecue for family and friends and enjoy the outdoors. And then, there are the uninvited houseguests: ants. Not only are they inviting themselves, but all of their friends as well. They seem to be having a party of their own.

When it starts warming up, many insects become active and start looking for food or mates or whatever their interest might be. Particularly bad this time of year are ants and beetles.

Ants are looking for food, especially after such a long, cold winter. There's not much out there for them to feast on.
Beetles have hibernated over the winter in cracks and crevasses of the house and are now looking for the outdoors.

Their activity is being noticed in households across the UK as pest control companies report a marked increase in the number of telephone calls being received regarding surges in insect numbers. The majority of calls have been about black ants, as the colonies begin to emerge from hibernation to look for food sources.

In most cases, ants will be found on kitchen countertops, mainly when food is left out. It is at this time that you can spot the ant trails and find out where the insects are gaining access to your house. These trails usually originate from weak points in the house such as door or window frames. Bathrooms can also often be a source of entry as windows are often left open throughout the day.

So, when should you call for an expert? Unfortunately, there's no simple answer. It largely depends on your tolerance level. Ant populations can be kept under control with the use of ant sprays and powders, which can be obtained from garden centres and DIY stores. Sometimes, this isn't enough to control numbers, and that is when most people pick up the phone to their local pest control company.

To eliminate ant problems, an insecticide is sprayed around the inside and outside of your home. During spraying, it is often easier to spot where the ant's entry and exit points are and make sure that there is a higher concentration of chemicals.

Ants are generally easy problems to eliminate, and if a single spraying application fails to take care of them, a further application of insecticide will be applied usually without further cost to the homeowner.

To avoid ants returning in later years, it is advisable to simply keep your house clean. Ants are infact just trying to help us keep clean... they are just there to pick up the crumbs that we miss when we clean our house.

SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre", Bluntisham Road, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire
01480 465684