Ants

Although ants are not thought to carry diseases, the possibilities of where they have been before arriving at your premises are extremely worrying – you don’t want them crawling through your property’s food storage areas.

 

Ants will travel a long distance in search for food sources and leftovers; in most cases leaving trails so that other ants can find the same food source with ease. These particular insect infestations can become a real nuisance for businesses and households.

Garden Ants/Black Ants

Appearance

• Workers 4–5mm long.
• Queens 15mm long.
• Dark brown–black in colour.
• 1 small segment at waist point (pedicel).
• No sting present.

Lifecycle

Queens overwinter in soil. Eggs are laid in late spring. Larvae hatch 3–4 weeks later.
Larvae feed on secretions from the queen”s salivary glands until the first worker ants emerge.
Worker ants continue with larval care, nest building and food foraging.
Fertile males are produced later in the season.

Habits

Foraging worker ants follow well–defined trails around food sources. Sweet foods are preferred but high protein foods will also be taken.
Swarming characteristics – mating between queens and fertile males takes place on the wing mid to late summer. Males perish after mating.
Nest locations – often outdoors in soil and below paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings. Nest locations can be identified by the presence of finely powdered soil around nest exit holes.