Mon 26 Jul, 2010
Flying ants are the dread of many homes in summer months leaving many people to dread the summer and the annual flying ants invasion which they realise the summer will bring
Only the unfortunates who have suffered it will appreciate the true effects of flying ants in their own homes.
Having an infestation of basic wingless ants is bad enough but when they enter their yearly mating phase the position can become horrifying.
Ants will form colonies in the sub-floor areas and in the wall cavities of our buildings and these colonies will continue for many years if left untreated and become progressively more troublesome every year.
Our houses are warm and dry and provide the perfect places for a growing ant colony; even solid hard floor is not a deterent to and ant colony.
Our home heating systems raises their metabolism even in the colder months when they are not active outdoors and my earliest ant job was on my birthday, in January!
Ants need a sandy soil and there are plenty areas in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester which tend to provide more ant callouts than other areas, Southport, Blackpool, Bolton, Sale & Altrincham come to mind as regular ant locations.
Unfortunately it is when they are in their mating phase that they are most annoying. Here in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester this tends to be pretty regularly around the third or fourth week in July.
Ants mate in flight and around mid-summer the colony releases flying immature Queens and winged males which in nature would fly off and mate in the air. Many thousands of these winged ants are released per colony and nests tend to synchronise their release in order to mate with ants from other nearby.
Normally this process starts after a couple of days of hot, dry weather and will often last for about a week although smaller releases will continue throughout most of June, July & August.
Unfortunately when the colony is located under the floor of the property the effects can be devastating, literally thousands of winged ants are released into the lower rooms, collecting on windows as they make for the light.
This can be unbelievably upsetting for some people leading to severe emotional distress to the level that people learn to hate the summertime and have actually left their homes to avoid the plague of ants which they know will inevitably appear each summer.
The colder summers of the last three years have meant that ant infestations were reduced on earlier but ants apparently have a way of catching up and 2010 could possibly be a particularly troublesome year.
Many people who have this problem try for DIY solutions with products from local stores etc but mostly these efforts are doomed to failure as they are not getting to the heart of the infestation which is the nest itself, tucked safely in the cavity wall or sub-floor area.
Fortunately for most people the answer.
At Harrier Pest Control and Prevention (subject to local site) we are able to remedy this problem and issue an extendable 3 year guarantee.
The treatment which is carried out mostly from the outside of the house, is totally safe for animals and children and leaves no smell, involves drilling small holes into the cavity walls of the building, not unlike a damp-course injection and blowing a long lasting insecticide into the cavity wall under pressure.
This forms an uncrossable barrier over which the ants cannot go and along with a precautionary internal spray treatment (if deemed necessary) will gradually bring the infestation under control.
The holes, which are only 8mm in diameter remain open so it is simply a matter of topping up the cavities every 3 to extend the life of the guarantee in three year blocks.
This treatment is best done out in the early spring however it can be done at any time of year.
As a strictly limited time offer in our quiet period we are offering 25 percent off the normalstandard price until May 30 2010. Whilst we usually cover the whole of Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, we are willing to travel further afield but this will be at extra cost.
For a chat or to arrange an appointment contact Harrier Pest Control on Free Phone 0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637
Ant Pest Control ? Don’t endure flying ant horrors, call the professionals!