Ant Control Across the East Midlands

Garden ant or pharaoh ant?

The black garden ant (Lasius niger) causes most calls. Workers are 3–5mm and dark brown to black. They nest outside under paving, patios and lawns and follow scent trails indoors to sugary food. On warm, humid days in summer the winged males and queens leave the nest together, the 'flying ant day' that looks alarming but is over in a few hours.

The pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) is a different problem. It's tiny, about 2mm, and pale yellow to amber. It can't survive a British winter outdoors, so it lives inside heated buildings: blocks of flats, hospitals, care homes and commercial kitchens, nesting in wall voids, behind skirting and in electrical fittings. Colonies have many queens.

Why sprays can make pharaoh ants worse

Spraying a pharaoh ant trail with an over-the-counter insecticide can cause the colony to 'bud': groups of workers carry brood and a queen off to start new nests elsewhere in the building. One colony becomes several and the problem spreads between rooms or flats. That's why we always identify the ant before treating.

For garden ants, sprays on the trail kill the workers you see but not the queen in the nest outside, so they keep coming back.

How we treat ants

For pharaoh ants we use slow-acting professional baits that workers carry back and share with the queens and brood, which deals with the whole colony without triggering budding. For garden ants we trace the trail back to the nest and treat the nest and entry points with insecticide, using bait where a nest can't be reached.

Most problems clear within 1–2 weeks. We'll also show you where they're getting in and how to stop it: sealing gaps around door frames and pipes, and keeping sweet food sealed.

“Hundreds of ants… I’d tried everything from natural to chemical (over the counter) but had no impact. My daughters were refusing to go into the kitchen… called and got an appointment that afternoon… not seen an ant since” Sally, Google review, June 2023

Are ants a health risk?

Garden ants are a nuisance rather than a health risk. Pharaoh ants are more serious in hospitals and food premises because they move between waste, drains and clean areas and can carry bacteria. In food businesses, any ant infestation is a hygiene issue under Food Standards Agency rules.