The Impact of Ants – are they really a problem?

While at the forefront of public consciousness for their remarkable abilities, the same talents can also make ants troublesome and resilient pests, yet all too often we overlook their nuisance potential in favour of their impressive skillset

 

Ants and the Rural Environment

Ants are social insects and live in structured communities in gardens, parks and rural spaces where they nest underground, in mounds, or in trees, often becoming a nuisance and deterring outdoor activities. 

While ants do little direct damage to plants, they can disturb soil around plant roots and deposit it on the surface during their nest building activities. This can be an issue on lawns and for low-growing plants that can be buried by excavated soil. Seeking out the warmth and seclusion of plant containers ants can disturb plant roots in pots, meaning plants are more prone to wilting, especially when dry at the roots. 

 

Urban Ants

 Adaptable ants also thrive in urban environments frequently making buildings their home. Here they colonise in wall cavities, gaps in floors, roofs, pavements, or foundations. Severe ant infestations can cause structural problems, damage equipment and infrastructure and impact businesses, land, and property values. As worker ants are attracted to electricity, they can colonise around electrical equipment, causing malfunctions or in severe cases catastrophic damage.

As they are efficient communicators even a single ant can pose a problem, as it will quickly report back to the colony the location of any potential food, resulting in many more ants coming into buildings if left undeterred. For this reason, ants pose a particular problem for food production businesses and commercial kitchens.

 

Ants and Public Health

Ants can carry disease, and as such can pose a risk to public health. They have been found to transfer various pathogenic microorganisms as well as faecal contaminants including E. Coli, Salmonella and Listeria contaminating food, water and food-contact surfaces in kitchens resulting in foodborne illnesses for humans.

 

Perception of Ants 

Public perception regarding ants can vary depending on the context and individual experiences. Here are some common perspectives on ants:

• Nuisance Pests: Many people perceive ants as annoying pests when they invade homes, gardens, or public spaces. Their presence can disrupt daily activities, contaminate food, and cause inconvenience. This perception often leads to a desire to eliminate or control ant populations.
• Fascination with Nature: Some individuals have a deep appreciation for the natural world, including ants. They may find ants fascinating due to their complex social structures, organised behaviour, and ecological roles. 
• Educational Value: Ants often serve as subjects of scientific study and educational programmes. Many people, particularly children, learn about ants' biology, behaviour, and ecological significance through educational materials, nature documentaries, or school projects. 
• Indifference: Some individuals may simply be indifferent to ants, considering them a natural part of the environment. They may not view them as a significant concern or have a strong opinion about their presence.

Overall, public perception of ants can range from negative to positive, influenced by personal experiences, knowledge, cultural factors, and attitudes towards the natural world. It is important to strike a balance between managing the potential negative impacts of ants while also recognising their ecological value.

 

Expert advice on ants for PCOs

If you’re a PCO and you’ve been called in to deal with an ant problem, Richard Faulkner, National Account and Technical Manager at Envu explains that the most important part of any ant treatment is making sure that you have a correct species ID. Identification is key and you need to make sure that you know if it’s a single queen (monogynous) species such as Lasius niger (Black Garden Ant) or a multi queen (polygynous) species such as Monomorium pharaonis (Pharaoh Ant). Knowing this will allow you to choose the correct treatment method. Once you have your correct identification and have chosen your treatment method, then you must follow your product label correctly to ensure that you are using your insecticide correctly and for the correct target insect. When treating black garden ants the direct treatment of the nest with an insecticidal spray will result in the quickest control. If you cannot locate the nest and can only see foraging workers then using a gel bait will be your best method of control.

When treating multi queen species such as Pharaoh Ant or Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) it is important to use an ant bait and not to spray them as this will cause the ant colonies to bud which will make the problem worse and harder to control.

For more Ant facts click here.