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Ants

 

 

In the UK the two main species of Pest Ant we come across are the Common Black/ Garden Ant and the Pharoah’s Ant, both cover a wide area in search of food, and once found are seen trailing to and from their nest.

The Black/ Garden Ant does not pose any health risk to humans,  but they can be a serious nuisance when entering buildings.

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Black Ants  (lasius niger)

  • LIFE CYCLE:   50 – 70 days, each Black Ant colony has around 5,000 Worker Ants  and a single queen. A queens life span can be up to 12 years.
  • LENGTH:   2mm – 5mm.
  • APPEARANCE:   Black / Dark brown.

  • HABITAT & HABITS:  Normally found nesting under paving, in and around wall/ floor areas, etc

The Pharaoh’s Ant is however, a different matter, they pose a health risk to humans by transmitting pathogens due to feeding in unhygienic areas such as  drains and food waste bins, etc making infestations in sterile environments particularly important to control.

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  • LIFE CYCLE:    38 – 45 days, each Pharoah’s Ant colony can have multiple queens, each laying up to 400 eggs over her lifetime.
  • LENGTH:   1.5mm – 2mm.
  • APPEARANCE:     brownish yellow in colour and significantly smaller than the Black Ant.
  • HABITAT & HABITS:   In most cases in the uk,  Pharoah’s  Ant colonies are found indoors as they need warm humid conditions to survive, they can be found in a variety of locations such as hotels, residential  blocks, food handling premises, hospitals, etc. Gaining control of a Pharoah’s Ant infestation can be a long process due to the fact they are prone to splinter away from the initial colony.

Pharaoh's Ant  (Monomorium Pnaraonis)

 Call now  0118 336 0338

Pest Control in Reading

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