APPEARANCE

Ants are insects in the Order Hymenoptera, and it should be recognised that they can be beneficial as well as pests. They will kill and eat any insect they find, including fleas, fly larvae and termites. In some areas they are an important part of the natural processes of soil aeration and organic matter breakdown. Management programs should aim to keep them out of the house without eliminating them from all other environments.

LIFECYCLE

Ants are social insects and live in colonies. Usually there are 3 distinct castes: workers, queens and males. Some species also have a soldier caste. Eggs are laid by the queen, then develop into larvae, pupate and become adults.

INDOORS

Ants invade houses searching for food and are more of a nuisance than a danger, and they certainly do not warrant the use of highly toxic insecticides. Use soapy water sprays to kill invading ants until you can undertake more permanent solutions.

Proper Storage of Food

Food should be kept in containers that close tightly. Pet food should not be left out overnight or place it in a bowl of soapy water to prevent ant access.

Storage of Organic Waste

Compost buckets need to have tight fitting lids. Bottles, cans and wrappings that have food particles clinging to them should be washed out before storage for recycling.

Cleaning

A vacuum cleaner is useful to remove crumbs from corners and cracks in the floor, as well as inside cupboards.

Sealing Cracks

Find out where the ants are entering the house and then use a silicon caulk to block their passage. If possible, place boric acid or diatomaceous earth in the cracks before closing.

OUTDOORS

Try to tolerate ants outdoors as they are part of the environment and control many pests such as termites, cockroaches, fleas and flies. Increasing the humus levels and using mulch will discourage ants in the garden. Biting ants close to the house, children's play area or gardens may need to be controlled using the Spraying Treatment outlined below.

Flooding

Flooding with water is useful to rid ants from plant pots.

Spraying Treatment

Make up a spray containing 500 ml of water, a quarter cup of kerosene, a quarter cup of liquid detergent and 4 dessertspoons of vegetable oil, shaken together. Spay a circle about .5 m radius from the nest entrance. Pour a cup of water slowly into the nest entrance, wait a few minutes and then spray all the ants on the surface with the homemade spray or a pyrethrum-based spray. Repeat this procedure every 2-3 days until the ant population declines. Lay 3-6 baits as described below, around the nest.

Baits

Use boric acid/ sugar solution bait as a least-toxic control. To make the bait mix 3 cups of water, 1cup sugar and 4 level teaspoons of boric acid. Half fill a small screw-topped jar with cotton wool, saturate with bait, screw the lids on tightly, seal with adhesive tape, pierce several small holes in the lid to allow the ants access but prevent removal by larger animals. Keep away from children and pets. This takes a few weeks to wipe out a colony but is more effective than using highly toxic pesticides that only kill the foraging ants, not the colony. Some ants will prefer a mint jelly or peanut butter bait.

Sticky Barriers

Use sticky barriers, such as Tanglefoot and Trappit Barrier Glue, around tree trunks to aid in the biological control of scales, aphids and mealy bugs, as ants patrol trees defending these pests from attack by their natural enemies, in order to maintain their supply of honeydew. Very young trees or sensitive trees such as citrus should be banded with masking or packing tape before applying the glue, as the bark may be liable to damage.

Before developing your pest management strategy, decide if you really need to do anything at all? Is it a plant you care about; is the damage sufficiently bad to warrant your intervention? For example, the beautiful Large Citrus butterfly does very little damage to citrus trees, losing a few leaves seems a small price to pay for having it in your garden. If the answer is yes, then choose from several of the suggested physical, biological and least-toxic chemical controls. Organic gardening relies on several overlapping strategies rather than the power of a single highly toxic chemical to kill the pest.