The Secret to Getting Rid of Black Garden Ants
As we head into June and July, expect ants! You may have noticed them emerging earlier and earlier every year, although the heavy rainfall we’ve suffered through in the first half of 2024 has caused an ebb and flow of ant activity. When we talk about ant infestations in the garden, we usually mean the Black Garden Ant, otherwise known as Lasius Niger.?In July, pairs of winged male and female ‘alate’ ants emerge from the nest to mate. The females land, remove their wings and establish their colonies as newly crowned ant queens.?
While ants do not pose much in the way of physical harm, nobody wants their lawn covered in creepy crawlies, especially when all you want to do is barbecue some burgers and work on your tan.
In this edition of Built to Protect, we’re doing a deep dive into the feeding habits of Black Garden Ants to find some intel we can use to combat them… Also in this issue, we're announcing a new certification for one of our most popular webinars: Dealing with Dampness in Existing Buildings.
Where do Ants Live?
Take a quick look around the garden and you'll soon spot a few black garden ants. They build their nests near our homes for one reason: food.?
In nature, ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids; the aphids eat sap and secrete sugary honeydew, which the ants collect. Aphid colonies are often found around flower buds.?As the perfect habitat for the Black Garden Ant is shaded dry soil near a source of food, aphids are why clusters of ants are common around flowerbeds. You may also stumble across them under stones and paving slabs. Ants also look for standing bodies of water, so make sure your home and garden is leak-free.
If you’re looking for the nest itself, keep an eye out for small mounds of soil in undisturbed places like rotten wood, rocks, stones or under patios. Ants expand their nests by tunnelling deep underground and a healthy colony can comprise 7,000 or more ants. If you can see one ant, you can be sure that there are thousands more hidden from view.
The Problem With Ant Repellents
Ants are a foraging species; worker ants gather food to bring back to the nest. There, they feed other ants and larvae in a process called Trophallaxis.??
Contact killers and ant repellent measures may seem like they produce immediate results. You can see dead ants; it must be working! However, in the grand scheme of things, it is near impossible to get rid of an ant colony using a repellent alone because you are never dealing with the underlying cause: the hidden colony.
When ants find a suitable food source, they release a pheromone that leads other ants to it. You can use this power against them. By monitoring their trail, ants will lead you back to the nest where you can tackle the problem at its source.
When you use a repellent, it wipes out the ‘food’ pheromone and disrupts ant behaviour. But remember, you haven’t eliminated the colony. Ants will simply modify their route to avoid the area you've treated. Ants are resourceful. They take advantage of the tiniest cracks to gain entrance into your home.
One thing is clear: we need to get in that nest. But how?
Trophallaxis and Delayed-Action Bait: The Key to Successful Ant Control
The answer lies in a sugary bait that hides a delayed-action active ingredient. When you place this type of pest control in an area with Black Garden Ants, they pick it up and give the signal for “All clear, food here!” Ants pick up the bait and distribute it via Trophallaxis to the rest of the colony. After some time, the active ingredient does its job and the ants die. Once the bait has been shared with the Ant Queen, the colony can no longer reproduce and soon dies out.
Patience is key. It can take a couple of weeks for the ants to share the bait with every ant in the whole colony. At first, it may seem like there are more ants around the home and garden than there were before. But don't worry, the bait is successfully tricking the ants into sealing their own fate. After the initial influx of activity, there will be a sudden drop-off as the delayed-action formula kicks in and takes care of the colony.
The NOPE! Pest Control range offers a selection of delayed-action ant bait pest control for all your needs:
领英推荐
NOPE! Ant Killer Bait Stations
Squeeze, snip and set with these handy pre-filled Ant Bait Stations. Place 2 Bait Stations per 5m2 by the nest or at known ant trails. Pre-dosed with gel for mess-free deployment. Includes Bitrex bittering agent to prevent accidental ingestion in pets and children. Ants pick up the gel and distribute it throughout the colony for effective home pest control.
NOPE! Ant Killer Granules
Ants can’t resist these powerful baited granules. They're bright blue so you can easily track granule uptake anywhere around the home and garden. When NOPE! Ant Killer Granules are all gone, the ants will be too! Each microencapsulated granule is UV, temperature and humidity-resistant for 4 weeks of active lifetime.?Effective on most ant species, including Black Garden, Pharaoh and Argentine Ants, at all stages of their lifecycle.
Safeguard Europe and The CPD Certification Service
Safeguard Europe is now a member of The CPD Certification Service, the world’s leading organisation for Continued Professional Development training events, courses, workshops and webinars.
We are proud to announce that Dealing with Dampness in Existing Buildings has been certified by The CPD Certification Service. This accolade, alongside our existing RIBA certification, underlines our commitment and dedication to providing all sectors of the building industry with the quality training materials and practical knowledge needed to keep buildings dry.?
Interested in this free upskilling webinar? Sign up for the next session of Dealing with Dampness in Existing Buildings on Tuesday, 25th June.?
Do you manage a team who would benefit from this training? We offer private sessions to housing and building industry professionals. Architects, surveyors, housing association and council teams across the country have all benefited from Dealing with Dampness in Existing Buildings. Get in touch at [email protected] with your team size and availability. Our technical team will respond as soon as they can.
Thanks for reading this jam-packed newsletter! We’ll see you on Wednesday, 19th June for the next edition. As always, our customer service and technical teams are available to take your questions and offer advice on your building protection projects. Email us at [email protected] or call us on 01403 210204 .