Where ever you are Taree, Forster, Gloucester or anywhere in between there is no doubt you have noticed a huge rise in ant activity. The recent weather has produced conditions, in a way favourable, in another unfavourable for ants. Ants are omnivorous, and while they may have a food preference, sugar, protein or fats, they are able to sustain a diet from a wide variety of food sources. Liquid water however, is a commodity they cannot live without. The recent rains have displaced a lot of colonies from external nesting, but have given them an endless supply of available liquid water allowing numbers to explode.

While the white-footed black house ant varies very little aesthetically from the ‘normal’ black house ant, its differentiation and identification is vital for effective control. Treatment areas, techniques and products will all be modified for treating the two species. Aesthetically the main difference between the two species is the lack of a raised petiole in the white-footed black house ant. Both species are very similar in size, colour and have white ‘feet’.

White-footed black house ants will be found nesting in above ground locations, they will have multiple nests and multiple queens making them hugely invasive. Often with varying weather these ants will be displaced from their nesting location, pushed into the human environment and will flourish. Being a multi-nesting, multi-queen ant allows this species in particular to reach great numbers in a small amount of time. Their ability to nest almost anywhere, including but not limited to, wall, roof and subfloor voids, in and around stored items, under insulation, draw runners, in cupboards, around light fitting, cracks in timbers and in electrical items, coupled with the limited level of trophallaxis often makes control an Experts job. The reduce, possibly absent, level of trophallaxis makes baiting this ant species, at times, impossible as the product will not be passed throughout the colony(ies) making a direct contact treatment the most effective control option. The problem with this treatment type is it is often very physically demanding and time consuming. Your Local Pest Expert technician will take the time required to treat the ants at their source, spending a lot of time and effort in roofs, subfloors and scaling the rest of your house looking for the stranger nesting environments to ensure effective control is achieved.

Ant control is a very specialised game and requires very specific equipment, products and knowledge. Whether it is black house ant, white-footed black house ant, coastal brown ant, green ants, bull ant, meat ant or any and all ants, our Expert technicians possess the knowledge and experience required to get the job done right.