Ant Pest Control London & Kent
Professional ant control company
Common ants in the UK are not known to carry disease – but they will not stop to wipe their feet on the way into your kitchen. They can bring all sorts of nasty germs with them depending on where they had their last meal, so it is wise to have an ant problem treated by a pest control expert in London and Kent to avoid contamination, especially where food is stored.
Project Multi Pest are ant control experts and we can rid your home, business, and garden of black ant infestations and the more exotic ant species. Our professional pest controllers are skilled at ant removal and use a number of techniques to ensure every last ant is gone. We operate throughout Kent and London, so call us today for a quote and put an end to your ant problem once and for all.
Ant infestations in the home and garden
Ants are a distressing sight when they enter your home in numbers, especially when they make it as far as your kitchen cupboards. They also make a nuisance of themselves outside, often found on lawns, flower beds, on driveways and at the base of exterior walls.
Ants nests can be really annoying when you are trying to enjoy your garden, and can get everywhere. Little ones love a creepy-crawly and can quickly become covered head to toe if they come across a nest. Although they are unlikely to come to any harm it’s not pleasant, especially if you are squeamish about insects. In the warmer months, flying ants can drive you to distraction as they swarm in large numbers.
Commercial ant control
Ant infestations in commercial premises can reflect badly on the company, especially in hospitality venues, surgeries or hospitals. Where food is stored, ants are bad news and they can seriously compromise hygiene standards in healthcare environments. The health risk aside, nobody wants to see a slow-moving line of ants make their way across the floor of a restaurant, hotel room or hospital ward, and it is likely to end in complaint. With social media at everyone’s fingertips, that complaint could be very public so it is essential to get an ant exterminator to deal with the problem, fast.
How to spot the signs of an ant infestation
The sight of a parade of black dots is a familiar one, especially in the summer months when we spend more time outdoors. A few ants scuttling about their business isn’t too much of a cause for concern, look out for the following signs that could mean an infestation has got out of control.
- Large numbers: A large group of ants is unmistakable and difficult to miss. This is a sure sign that their nest is close by and it is time for action.
- Ant hills/nests: On your lawn and in your flower bends, look out for small mounds of dry soil, which can be the site of a nest. These are common in the summer months, before the male flying ants appear.
- Ant trails: Another sign to look out for is ant trails. Worker ants leave helpful trails of chemicals behind them to lead other ants to food. Once they have feasted, they head back to the nest, leaving yet another trail behind them, so look out for them marching in the same places.
Ant pest control
There are plenty of domestic methods of getting rid of ants and numerous ant killer products, but as tempting as it may be to reach for one, they are rarely effective. Only the female worker ants are visible above ground, and back at ant HQ the nest can hold thousands more, plus the next generation tucked up in their cocoons. Therefore, a home ant treatment will only tackle the pests you can see. To be rid of an ant infestation for good, you must destroy the nest, which is much harder to do without the help of a professional pest controller.
Experienced and discreet service
Project Multi Pest are highly experienced in ant control, and can provide a quick and discreet service for businesses and homeowners. Our service starts by identifying the ant species and finding the source, before deciding on the most appropriate course of ant treatment. We use professional-strength sprays, gels and powders, as well as fogging techniques, which are very effective in destroying ants nests, even in the tiniest of cracks and crevices. Environmental issues are very important to PMP, and all of the chemicals we use are safe for people and pets.
What can I do to deter ants?
Although it is always advisable to treat an infestation with the help of pest control expert, there are measures you can take to avoid one in your home or commercial premises.
If you spot a line of ants marching into your property, look for their point of entrance and attempt to seal it off. Ants come indoors on the hunt for food to take back to their nests, leaving a line of pheromones behind them as a handy trail for other ants to follow. It’s likely that the route taken will be used again and again, so it should hopefully be easy to spot again if you miss it the first time.
Ants particularly like sweet, sticky substances, but will be attracted by most food. In both domestic and commercial kitchens, it is advised to keep foodstuff sealed and stored away. Hygiene standards must be scrupulous and spillages should be cleaned up without delay.
What types of ant species are there in the UK?
Black ants
Black ants are the type we see most often in the UK. While virtually harmless, they are real nuisance in large numbers. These are the pests that will likely head indoors scavenging about for food, and often find their way into sugar bowls, cereal packets and fruit baskets. Their natural diet is insects and nectar, and as such they are attracted to sweet, sticky substances which we often have in our kitchens.
Black ants nest underground in dry soil, leaving a tell-tale mound above ground. Ant colonies can number around 6,000, although successful colonies can number tens of thousands. Each colony is presided over by a queen, and the females are the worker ants, leaving the nest to find food. The winged males are stirred in spring when the weather turns warm, and take to the skies in a mating ritual which is sometimes called ‘flying ant season’ (see below).
Black ants are social, impressively organised and not averse to a bit of hard work, which rewards them with a long life of up to 15 years (for queens), although it is more often around four years (for workers). They will walk a relatively long way to find a source of food and leave a pheromone trail behind them so that they, and their extended ant family, can find their way back. This is why you see lines of marching ants outside and indoors, following the trail in the hope for their next meal.
Flying ants
In the summer months when the weather is warm, it is common to see flying ants, which some assume to be a different species to the black or garden ant, but this is not so. While the female black ants are the ones we see busily marching about their business on the patio, the male ants are winged and emerge from the nest in the warmth of spring and early summer to perform an annual mating ritual. The larger flying ants are the young queens of the species, heading off to start new colonies.
Tropical ants
The most common tropical ant found in the UK is the Pharaoh ant. It is amber in colour and the workers are tiny, at just 2mm in length. It favours a warmer climate, so it will attempt to head inside in the winter months to enjoy the central heating. Their colony hierarchy and behaviour is similar to that of black ants, although they sometimes have multiple queens.
The main difference is that Pharaoh ants are prone to migration if their nest becomes inhabitable, happy to divide into groups to find new nesting places. So although they don’t live as long as black ants (months rather than years), their migrating habits make them very resilient and they can spread like wildfire throughout a building. This of course, can be very problematic for large buildings especially in healthcare premises, restaurants and food storage facilities.
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