All About Black Garden Ants

We often get calls regarding ant infestations in people’s homes and businesses of people wondering whether ants are in fact a danger in your home. The answer to this question is that ants are considered harmless in Ireland as they do not bite but an ant infestation in your home or business can be bad news. As ants are attracted to a food source and will crawl on counter tops and cupboards before getting into food packaging or fridge, this results in contamination of food in an area where there is an ant infestation. Having an ant in your home may be very stressful, homeowners are embarrassed by having an ant infestation in heir home and businesses having an ant infestation may be damaging to their reputation.

Did You Know?

Ants have a sweet tooth and are on the hunt for a food source in your home or business. Once one working ant finds a food source, they will lay down tracks of a pheromone scent for others in their colony to follow and they will keep returning to the source. Ants will gather arounds sinks, dishwashers, presses, counter tops and around windowsills. You may also see ants in bathrooms and hot presses.

How do I know I have an ant infestation?

• Sight – If you are spotting an ant in your home or business this could be an early sign of infestation. Secondly, spotting a couple of ants in your home or business could indicate a nest may be nearby. All it takes is for one ant to find a food source in your home or business to alert their colony, leading to infestation.
• Nest – If you see an ant nest in your home or businesses premises, it a clear sign of infestation. An ant’s nest is tricky to spot as it will look on the surface to just be a black hole in the ground, but it will be surrounded by small mounds of dirt, and you will notice ant active coming in and out of this hole.
• Food – If you have a large number of ants near your food preparation or storage areas, this will be an obvious sign of infestation and you should get a professional, registered and trained, pest control company to help solve this tricky pest from getting established.

We at Wicklow Pest Control know that when you see the sun shining in Ireland as the warmer months approach, it is a great time to dine outdoors and enjoys drinks in beer gardens and barbeques This increased use of outdoor areas of bars, pubs, restaurants, and back gardens will attract ants. As ants have a sweet tooth any food or drink spillage will attract them to your premises, so we advise good housekeeping in businesses and not to neglect on good outdoor hygiene.

Preventing Ants

• Hygiene – Kitchen hygiene is especially important to avoid an ant infestation from happening as this will cut their food source. Keep countertops and floors clean of spillages and crumbs.
• Storage – Storage of foodstuff is also important to prevent ants from using your food supply and further contaminating it. We recommend keeping foods that are attractants to ants in sealed containers.
• Entry points – We advise our customers to seal any potential entry points for ants, such as cracks in walls and windows, to avoid easy access for this nuisance of an insect.
• Pet Food – It is important not to leave any kind of food lying around in bowls and plates, but we are not only speaking of human food here, but it is also important not to leave pet food bowls around either as this will attract ants.

Once an ant colony gets established, it can be difficult to remove them without a professional’s help. DIY ant control measures will only work temporarily but if you have an established infestation, killing a single ant, however easy it may seem, doesn’t solve your infestation. Ants will have already laid their track to alert their colony of the pathway to a food source. We at Wicklow Pest Control would recommend you contact a professional pest control provider to help you with your ant problem for both home and commercial properties. We will conduct a commercial risk assessment site survey of your premises to identify the type of ant species we are dealing with as different types of ants require different types of pest management. We will then come up with a tailor-made solution depending on your specific infestation, working in compliance with health and safety. We at Wicklow Pest Control always make sure during toxic insecticidal treatments, that the premises should be vacated during and after the treatment, this is one of our company policies.