How to detect them?
Ants can generally be detected quite easily. It can be as easy as regularly seeing one or two ants around your home to know you've got a problem. They don't hide during daytime hours and don't shy away from humans either. Ants often bury themselves underground. So if you see small mounds of dirt in your garden, or what looks like mounds of dirt in walls and crevices, you may have an ant infestation you need to deal with. Ants, such as the pharoah's ant also leave trails of pheromone which, apart from giving off a smell, can be seen under ultraviolet light. Put simply, the more ants you spot in your home, the more likely your property is infested.
Health effects
In entering homes and looking for food, ants can carry all kinds of unwanted detritus from outside. They're not regarded as a significant health risk as much as some other household pests. However, in addition to being a nuisance, they can cause damage to cables and wires. Although relatively small, their strong teeth allow ants to sever cables which in turn can be a fire risk.
What to do in case of infestation
- 1
The simplest way to combat an ant infestation is to remove any food source.
- 2
Make sure all loose food is in sealed containers and securely locked away. Ants are intelligent, crafty creatures who will find ingenious ways to access food in your home.
- 3
Block any points of access to your home.
- 4
Pouring boiling water on a nest in your garden can limit the growth of the nest there.
- 5
Calling in professional ant pest control is also advisable as effective ant treatment.
