EXPLAINER / KNOW HOW
Be vigilant A thorough visual check of deliveries is a useful habit to establish among staff on site. Pharaoh ants are tiny, so are easily missed, but can be spotted when in motion and are visibly different from other ant species. Pharaoh ants tend to be pale, varying from yellowish in colour to more reddish. The adult worker ants are wingless, about 1.5-2mm long, and will live up to 10 months. The queens are a little bigger, at around 4mm long, and slightly darker than the worker ants.
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PE ST CO NTROL
Banish the pharaoh A tropical species, pharaoh ants can cause great damage if they infest your building, says Natalie Bungay
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he pharaoh ant is a tropical species found only in heated buildings in the UK. It is commonly reported as present in bakeries at the side of ovens or near to them, or close to other machinery that lets off heat. Although these tiny creatures need heat to survive, they can also be found in less obvious sites, such as trailing down the side of a wall close to a warmer part of the building. Pharaoh ants are believed to spread diseases, so control is required in food preparation premises, but there have also been reports of the species being found in hospitals – and, more worryingly, within sterile surgical equipment.
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK
Treatment options Once the extent of an infestation has been identified, the pest professional contracted to carry out the work will begin the treatment. Care must be taken to ensure that no pockets of infestation are missed, and further surveys and customer liaisons can determine the success of the treatment. Full control can be achieved in as little as two to three weeks by a trained and competent professional with the right tools.
Three steps to prevent an infestation Establish a pest control maintenance cycle Agree to a contract with a pest management professional that includes regular surveying for the presence of pharaoh ants. They can be tricky to spot, as nests are often located in voids or cavities. Although nests can house thousands of workers to provide food for the colony and maintain the nest, only 5-10 per cent of the workers engage in foraging, so those that are visible are usually only a small piece of the picture. A professional pest controller will have the tools and the specialist knowledge necessary to carry out a thorough survey.
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Reproduction and nests The pharaoh ant follows a complete metamorphosis (egg>larva>pupa>adult) and, unlike some other ant species, the nest contains several queens, all of which lay eggs. Nest sizes vary and are dependent on available space, which means they can grow to a
massive population, with research finding nests with 50,000 workers and 100,000 ants at young stages! The complete cycle from egg to adult takes just six to eight weeks.
NATALIE BUNGAY is technical manager at British Pest Control Association (BPCA)
Avoid DIY products or methods In the event of a threat, workers can move pupae and young larvae away from the original colony, establishing a satellite colony in new areas of the structure and creating a more significant infestation. This response is called ‘budding’ and can be triggered by a perceived danger such as someone carrying out DIY pest control, who wrongly decides to spray any trails or the nest. Budding is a process by which the ants gradually spread throughout buildings or complexes and pharaoh ants also do this deliberately as they set out to start new colonies. A pest professional will survey and treat the infestation and decide on a bespoke number of follow-up visits to ensure that the colony has been controlled and that no satellite colonies go unnoticed. To summarise: in the event of an infestation, it is essential to engage an experienced pest management professional with access to specialist products not available to the public. To find a professional pest controller visit bpca.org.uk/find
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