Flying ants are the dread of many houses in summer months leaving many people to dread the summer and the annual flying ants invasion which they know the summer will herald
Only the unfortunates who have suffered it will appreciate the true effects of flying ants in their houses.
Having an infestation of ordinary wingless ants is bad enough but when they enter their yearly mating phase the situation can become intolerable.
Ants regularly form colonies in the sub-floor areas and in the wall cavities of our buildings and these colonies will live for many years to come if left untreated and become progressively more troublesome every year.
Our houses are warm and dry and make the perfect places for a growing ant colony; even solid hard floor is not a hindrance to ants.
Our house heating systems keeps their metabolism even in the winter months and my earliest ant job was on my birthday, in January!
Ants prefer a sandy soil and there are lots of areas in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester which have more ant problems than most others, Southport, Blackpool, Bolton, Sale & Altrincham come to mind as hot ant areas.
Unfortunately it is during their mating phase that they are most annoying. Here in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester this often is pretty regularly around the middle of July.
Ants mate in flight and around mid-summer the colony releases flying immature Queens and flying males which in nature would fly off and mate whilst flying. Many thousands of these flying ants are released per colony and nests tend to synchronise their production so that they mate with ants from nearby colonies.
Often this process starts after a couple of days of hot, dry weather and will usually last for about a week although smaller releases will carry on throughout most of the summer.
Unfortunately when the colony is under the floor of the house the results can be dreadful, literally thousands of flying are released into the lower rooms, collecting on windows as they go towards the light.
This can be very upsetting for some people leading to extreme emotional distress to the level that people learn to loath the summertime and have actually left their house to escape the plague of ants which they know will come each summer.
The wet summers of 2007, 2008 & 2009 has meant that ant infestations were reduced on earlier but ants seem to have a way of catching up and 2010 might be a particularly troublesome year.
Many people who have this problem attempt for DIY solutions with powders from local stores etc but mostly these efforts are doomed to failure as they are not getting to the heart of the matter which is the colony itself, securely hidding safely in the cavity wall or sub-floor area.
Fortunately for most people the solution is at hand.
At Harrier Pest Prevention (subject to local site) we are able to remedy this problem and give an extendable 3 year guarantee.
The treatment which is carried out mainly from the outside of the property, is totally safe for animals and children and leaves no smell, involves drilling small holes into the cavity walls of the house, not unlike a damp-proof course injection and blowing an insecticidal powder into the cavity wall under pressure.
This forms an impenetrable barrier across which the ants cannot go and along with a precautionary internal spray treatment (if deemed necessary) will gradually bring the infestation to its end.
The holes, which are only 8mm in diameter stay open so it is an easy matter of topping up the cavities every 3 to extend the period of the guarantee in 3 year blocks.
This treatment is best carried out in the early spring however it can be done all year round.
As a strictly limited time offer before our busy period begins we are offering 25 percent off the normalstandard price until May 30 2010. Whilst we normally cover the whole of Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, we are able to travel further afield but this will be reflected in the cost.
For a chat or to arrange an appointment contact Harrier Pest Prevention on Free Phone 0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637
Ant Pest Control ? Don’t endure flying ant horrors, call us now!