- Black garden ant
- 3–5 mm, black
- Pharaoh ant
- About 2 mm, pale yellow-brown
- Flying ants
- Usually a day or two in July or August
- Peak season
- Summer
The exception is the pharaoh ant: a tiny, pale ant that nests inside warm buildings like flats and hospitals. Sprays make pharaoh ant colonies split and spread, so they're one for a professional.
Signs of ants
- A trail of ants along worktops, skirting or windowsills, usually towards something sweet
- Small piles of fine soil between paving or along the edge of a patio
- Swarms of winged ants appearing on one warm, humid summer day
- Tiny pale ants in warm areas of a flat, around pipes and heating (pharaoh ants)
How to be sure
Black garden ants are dark and about the size of a grain of rice. Pharaoh ants are much smaller and pale. Flying ants are simply the breeding stage of ordinary ants, not a different pest.
What you can do yourself
- Follow the trail back to where the ants are coming in.
- Put down ant gel bait or bait stations on the trail. Let the ants feed and carry it back. Don't spray them, or you'll kill the carriers.
- Be patient. Activity often rises for a day or two before falling, as more ants find the bait.
- Once the trail stops, wipe it with soapy water to remove the scent trail and seal the entry crack.
- Flying ants: close windows and vacuum them up. They'll be gone within a day or two.
Call a professional if
- You suspect pharaoh ants (tiny, pale, inside a warm building)
- Baiting hasn't worked after three to four weeks
- Ants are nesting inside the wall or under the floor
Keeping them out
- Keep sweet food sealed and wipe up spills
- Rinse recycling before it goes in the bin
- Seal cracks along skirting boards, window frames and door thresholds
Kit that helps
- Ant gel bait or bait stations
- Sealant for cracks
- Airtight food containers
Product types only. We'll only ever point you to things we'd use ourselves.
Questions people ask
Are flying ants a different species?
No. They're the winged males and new queens of ordinary ant colonies, flying out to mate. It usually happens on one or two warm, humid days in summer.
Does boiling water kill ant nests?
Poured on an outdoor nest it can kill some ants, but rarely the queen. Baits are more effective, and boiling water damages plants and patios.
Why are there more ants after I put bait down?
More ants find the bait and recruit others. That's a sign it's working. Leave it in place.
Do ants carry disease?
Garden ants are a nuisance rather than a health risk. Pharaoh ants can spread bacteria in places like hospitals, which is why they're taken seriously.