If you’ve seen a few ants scuttling around on the floor in your house, they are probably searching for food. Particularly if the queen ant has decided to set up her colony colse to your house, this could be the first signs of a larger infestation.
Ant Infestation Signs
Here are a few tell-tale signs to look out for, if you think you may have been invaded by ants.
Live Ants - if you’re seeing large numbers of live insects then you may well have a problem. If you find ants in your kitchen or in areas where you prepare food, then you need to do something about it fast.
Ant Pathways - in and out of your home or premises are another sign. Some types of ant will lay down a pheromone trail to a food source. This chemical attracts other ants to find the food.
Ants Nest - a nest site can look like a small pile of soil or dirt. Some species of ant like to make their home in walls or other quiet, dark places, which are more difficult to spot.
Ant Facts
Ants belong to the insect order Hymenoptera - they are close relatives of bees and wasps.
Each colony can hold up to half a million ants - they can all get up and go very quickly if the colony is threatened.
Worker ants can live for up to seven years - while a queen can live for up to 15 years.
Ants swarm once every year often in August - the young queens fly away and set up their own, new colonies. If you hear people talking about flying ants, this is the swarm they are referring to.