Pests and Nuisance

How to recognise if you have a problem with ants

Small black ants are commonly seen on paths, patios and more annoyingly in the house. They frequently leave small amounts of fine soil and sand at entrances to their nests and particularly in warm weather they can be seen traveling from their nests to scources of food.

What may cause an infestation?

Ants may nest in the soil under paving stones and sometimes in the foundations of a house. Foraging worker ants may appear from cracks and crevices that are inevitable at most skirting edges.

Once a food substance has been found (often sweet), then large numbers of workers may appear. If a hatch of winged queens and males happen mistakenly to follow this exit route from the nest, large numbers of winged insects appear very rapidly in living accommodation as they try to find a way out to the open air.

What treatment is available?

The light application of a crawling insect aerosol spray along affected skirting edges only, will kill foraging workers. This is best applied in a continuous sweeping motion to wet the skirting edge at several inches depth. If done last thing at night you will avoid breathing in any aerosol vapours in a freshly treated room.

If using crawling insect powder, put a very small amount along the skirting edges and brush it with an old paintbrush to give a very thin uniform layer that should be barely visible. Dust containing Bendiocarb is very effective.

The use of poisoned sugar bait is effective in destroying nests, but not if used with dusts or sprays. The idea is that as many worker ants as possible, take as much bait as possible in as short a time as possible back to the nest. Killing foraging workers with dusts and sprays makes this unlikely to happen. Ideally, attract as many workers as possible to a prebait of syrup, jam, honey etc. on a small piece of card. When large numbers have been attracted, swap the prebait for the poisoned bait. This treatment takes longer but is more likely to destroy the nest.

The easiest way to treat an indoor swarm of flying ants is to open the windows and allow them to escape. Flying insect aerosols will kill them, but will entail a clean up operation. Hoovering up the emerging insects is effective but condemns them to a prolonged demise in the dust bag!

This authority offers a chargeable service for treatment of ants on both residential and commercial premises.

Domestic £30.00 inc. Vat.                                                           
Pensionable age £15.00 inc. Vat
Receipt of relevant Benefit: £15.00 inc Vat
Commercial £36:00 per hr + part thereof + Vat.

Woodlice

How to recognise woodlice?

Woodlice are small grey segregated creatures. They are crustaceans breathe through gills, and do not have a waxy cuticle like insects, and they are quickly killed by drying out in a domestic property.

What may cause an infestation?

Woodlice frequent dark and damp places, beneath old wood piles, behind decaying mortar joints. If present in a centrally heated homes it is because having mistaken an air vent or a joint under a doorstep as an entrance to welcoming conditions. They quickly dry out, and may be found dead in large numbers between carpet grippers and skirting board.

What treatment is available?

It is unnecessary to kill them, as they will die if they remain but they can be readily put outside. To prevent woodlice build up in the outer fabric of the building, outer wall perimeters should be kept clear of creators of damp e.g. bricks or logs stacked against a wall, loose or decaying mortar should be replaced, overgrown or blocked vents should be cleared.

In extreme circumstances ant powder can be used around the external wall base but remember pesticides themselves are hazardous and a minor problem such as the odd stray woodlice can be dealt with by other means.