Detecting signs of an ant infestation

Ant infestation is a problem common to many homes in Australia. While the world is full of ants going about their business and often being quite useful, you probably don't want to share your home with them. Detecting the signs of an infestation is not difficult, and dealing with the problem effectively can be easier than dealing with many other species of insect pests.

Types of ant

There are two main types of insect which may be referred to as a pest ant in the home.

The first, and most benign, is the black ants which form lines across floors, worktops, shelves and other surfaces that lead straight to food sources such as bread, sweet foods and pet food. These trails are easily spotted and the ants often produce a distinctive sour acidic odour. Some parts of Australia also have stinging ants such as fire ants, and these should be treated with caution and eradicated by a pest control professional if found in your home.

The other type are termites, or ‘white ants', which are more concerning for the homeowner. ‘White ants' are the larvae of termites, and they eat wood, boring holes in the floors, walls and more commonly wooden foundations of your home.

Detecting ant infestation

Black worker ants are easy to spot. They are small, each only a few millimetres long, and form a pheromone trail to a food source. They live outside the home and come in for food.

Termites are trickier to detect before they cause obvious damage. If building a new home, consider preventative measures such as using concrete or treated foundations. Homes should be regularly inspected by a qualified pest control professional, and local councils should be able to advise you on how often you will need to do this in your area.

Ant control: Treating infestation

• Termites should be dealt with by a pest control professional.
• Black ant trails can be removed by scrubbing the entry points with soap and water
• Avoid enticing ants into your home by keeping all food stored, worktops clean and pet food only offered at feeding times. Ants love open bowls of dry pet food
• Bait may be laid for ants, in gel, liquid or solid form. Liquid forms are generally taken more easily. These are toxic, so take appropriate care
• Some natural forms of ant control include laying out cucumber peels or mint tea bags as these repel ants, setting cayenne pepper, citrus oil or cinnamon at entry points, and spraying ants with soapy water

Ant infestation in the home

While ant infestation may not be the worst pest problem for most houses, in some areas of Australia they can be a very unpleasant nuisance. Ensuring that there is no food to attract them, and taking a few simple measures upon discovering them, can deal very effectively with this problem. Termites should always be dealt with by professional pest controllers, and should be checked for via entry points to the home's foundations regularly.