They seem to pop up out of nowhere: thousands of ants! These fascinating minibeasts live and work together in well-organised colonies. They often invade our homes in search of tasty morsels like crumbs and sugar. Ants can be a real nuisance, contaminating food and causing damage to homes and patios. Some species may even sting or bite! Here's what you need to know about ants, how to prevent them and how you can get rid of them.
Ants usually build their nests outside. Scout ants venture out of the nest to find food, and when they discover a good source, like your kitchen, they alert the others, who carry the food back to the nest to feed the queen and her larvae. Ants are drawn to food remnants of all kinds, from sweet things like syrup, sugar and chocolate to protein-rich foods like cheese and meat.
During winter, the fertilised queen and a reduced version of the colony go into hibernation to survive the cold. The colony becomes active again in spring, quickly expanding as food becomes more plentiful. When the temperature rises in summer, the ants become more visible. In late summer, the nest begins to empty again. The original queen stays in the nest, and new, fertilised queens leave to establish new colonies.
Ants breed particularly rapidly in the spring when the nest 'wakes up' after hibernation and the queen starts laying eggs. A single nest can house several thousand ants.
Generally, ants are not dangerous. However, some species can deliver a nasty bite, posing a risk to unsupervised children playing near large nests. The primary concern with ants is how destructive they are. In addition to contaminating food, they cause structural damage that can even lead to entire patios collapsing!
Ants can be a real nuisance, and it's best to keep them away from your home. But how can you stop them from colonising your garden? Here are our tips for dealing with ants.
Ants come into our homes looking for food. To prevent this, seal any gaps around doors and windows and repair any cracks to reduce their chances of getting inside.
Make sure there's nothing to attract ants inside your home. Keep it clean and remove the crumbs and food residues that ants are searching for. If there's nothing to find, they'll leave of their own accord. Thorough cleaning also erases the scent trails laid by scout ants so the colony can't find its way to your kitchen.
Scout ants leave scent trails to lead other ants to food. If you spot these scouts, remove them immediately with a vacuum cleaner or dustpan and brush to disrupt their trails and prevent other ants from following them.
Keep food in airtight containers and make sure all bags are properly sealed. This helps prevent ants from being drawn to your pantry.
If you discover an ant nest in your garden, simply digging it up can be an effective solution. This exposes the larvae – the next generation of ants – to their natural predators, like blackbirds, who will soon arrive to get rid of them for you.
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Due to a lack of sustainable pest control products and as a result of his own frustrations, in 2014, our founder Ferdinand developed our first product: the Fruit Fly Ninja.
While he was trapped at home with a knee injury - surrounded by fruit flies – he discovered how natural ingredients can be just as effective as chemical ones. Especially when combined into an innovative product design.
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