As one of the most common pests in the household, ants strive in large colonies wherein each ant has its own specific role to fulfil. Worker ants work hard to protect the eggs, build and expand their nest and hunt, whilst the queen ant produces eggs to multiply the population. Contrary to popular belief, one colony is not limited to one queen – there can be more than one queen ant at any one time and these queens can leave to produce more colonies.
Similar to other insects, they use their chemical sensing system, otherwise known as chemosense, to detect certain chemicals present in the air (even at low concentrations). If these chemicals hint at sugar and other foods, the nearby ants will head towards it whilst releasing a pheromone to alert the other ants in the colony to give their assistance. As such, if you have unsealed foods left out in the open or food crumbs lying on the ground, expect to see a handful of ants trying to move it in the next few hours.
Whilst small in stature, their numbers are enough to compensate. The Fire Ant and the Carpenter Ant, in particular, are some of the most destructive and dangerous ant species in Singapore. Whilst they may not be as dangerous termites, Carpenter Ants can chew through wood to build their nest within such structures. This will cause wooden structures in homes to weaken and eventually, fall apart. On the other hand, Fire ants can inflict painful stings that can last for up to 8 whole days. Those who are allergic can experience blood flow issues or an increased heart rate.
Sign of infestation
It’s never fun to discover your house infested by these tiny creatures. After all, once their numbers get big enough, it’s hard to control and curb the situation, especially when you’re doing it alone.
There are a few signs you might pick up when your house has been invaded by ants; namely, a large number of live ants, ant pathways, nest sites and small piles of dirt found around such sites. You may also find a long trail of worker ants moving around edges of walls or any other parts of the house, and entering tiny cracks in walls.
How to get rid of this?
When you’ve come across an ant infestation, the first thing you’ll want to do is to remove any foods that may be lying around, unsealed. You can also do the following:
Ants Gel Baits: Applied along the trail you’ve identified. The worker ants will locate the bait and carry it back to the nest where they will then feed to the queen. The bait will effectively eliminate her, putting an end to the future populations.
Insecticide Residual Spray: Water-based spray to entire possible infestation area etc. wall skirting, landscape and any other structural cracks and crevices.
That said, this is simply not enough when dealing with an infestation. Apart from their large numbers, the problem will continue to persist if the root cause is not addressed. As such, you will want to employ the help of experts and their pest control services to effectively rid these pests from your home once and for all.
As one of Singapore’s leading pest exterminator, our experts are equipped with the technical knowledge and know-how to deal with such situations. You can finally bid such pesky pests goodbye with our quality services!