Ants in the house are the dread of many people in summer leaving many people to dread the summer and the annual flying ants invasion which they know the summer will herald
Only the unfortunate people who have suffered it will realise the true horror of flying ants in their own homes.
Having an infestation of plain old wingless ants is bad enough but when they go through their annual mating phase the position can become intolerable.
Ants will form colonies under the floors and in the wall cavities of our buildings and these colonies will continue for many years to come if left untreated and become progressively more persistent every year.
Our dwellings are warm and dry and make the ideal places for a thriving ant colony; even solid asphalt floor is not a problem to ants.
Our home heating systems raises their metabolism even in the colder months when they are not active outdoors and my earliest ant treatment was on my birthday, which falls 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 most, Southport, Blackpool, Bolton, Sale & Altrincham come to mind as regular ant locations.
Unfortunately it is when they are in their mating period that they are most irksome. Here in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester this often is pretty regularly around the third or fourth week in July.
Ants mate on the wing and sometime around mid-summer the colony produces flying immature Queens and winged males which in nature would fly off and mate in the air. Many thousands of these winged ants are produced by each and nests tend to time their release so that they mate with ants from other nearby.
Often this process starts after a couple of days of hot, dry weather and will usually last for about seven to ten although smaller releases will continue throughout most of the summer.
Unfortunately when the colony is under the floor of the dwelling the effects can be devastating, literally thousands of flying are produced into the lower rooms, collecting on windows as they make for the light.
This can be unbelievably distressing for some people leading to severe emotional trauma to the level that people learn to dread the summertime and have actually sold their house to escape the plague of ants which they know will come each summer.
The wet summers of the last three years have meant that ant call-outs were down on the preceding but ants seem to have a way of catching up and 2010 looks set to be a particularly troublesome year.
A lot of people who have this problem attempt for DIY solutions with products from DIY shops etc but mostly these efforts do not succeed as they are not getting to the heart of the infestation which is the nest itself, securely hidding safely in the cavity wall or under the floor.
Luckily for many people help.
At Harrier Pest Control (subject to satisfactory site) we are able to remedy this problem and issue an extendable three year guarantee.
The treatment which is done mainly from the exterior of the home, 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-course injection and blowing an insecticidal powder into the cavity wall under pressure.
This forms an uncrossable barrier through which the ants cannot go and along with a precautionary spray of the inside (if deemed necessary) will gradually bring the ant colony under control.
The holes, which are only 8mm in diameter remain open so it is a simple matter of topping up the cavity walls every 3 to extend the effectiveness of the guarantee in 3 year periods.
This treatment is best carried out in the early spring however it can be done all year round.
As a very limited time offer in our quiet period we are offering 25 percent off the usual cost until May 30 2010. Whilst we usually cover the whole of Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, we are able to venture 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, take action now!