Flying ants are the scourge of many houses in summer leaving many people to dread the summer and the annual flying ants invasion.

Only the unfortunate people who have suffered it will know the true nature of flying ants in their homes.

Having an infestation of plain old wingless ants is bad enough but when they go through their yearly mating phase the situation can become horrifying.

Ants will form colonies under the floors and in the wall cavities of our dwellings and these colonies will continue for many years if left untreated becoming progressively more persistent as the years go on.

Our homes are warm and dry and provide the ideal places for a growing ant colony; even solid asphalt floor is not a deterent to and ant colony.

Our central heating systems keeps their metabolism even in the colder months when they are not active outdoors and my earliest ant treatment was on my birthday, in January!

Ants prefer a sandy soil and there are many areas in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester which tend to provide more ant problems than others, Southport, Blackpool, Bolton, Sale & Altrincham come to mind as regular ant spots.

Unfortunately it is during their mating phase that they are most troublesome. Here in Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester this usually is pretty regularly around the third or fourth week in July.

Ants mate on the wing and sometime around mid-summer the colony produces winged immature Queens and winged males which in nature would fly off and mate on the wing. Many thousands of these winged ants are produced by each and nests tend to synchronise their release in order to mate with ants from other nests.

Usually this process starts after a few of days of hot, dry weather and will usually last for about a week although smaller releases will continue throughout most of June, July & August.

Unfortunately when the nest is built under the floor of the dwelling the results can be devastating, literally thousands of winged ants are produced into the lower rooms, collecting on windows as they head for the light.

This can be extremely upsetting for some people leading to extreme emotional distress to the extent that people learn to dread the summertime and have actually sold their homes to escape the plague of ants which they know will appear each summer.

The colder summers of 2007, 2008 & 2009 has meant that ant problems were down on the preceding but ants appear to have a way of catching up and 2010 looks set to be a particularly troublesome year.

Most people who have this problem try for DIY solutions with powders from hardware shops etc but mostly these efforts are doomed to failure as they are not getting to the heart of the problem which is the colony itself, hidden away safely in the cavity wall or sub-floor area.

luckily for many people the answer.

At Harrier Pest Control (subject to site survey) we are able to curee this problem and give an extendable three year guarantee.

The process which is done mainly from the exterior of the dwelling, is perfectly safe for animals and children and produces no smell, involves drilling small holes into the cavity walls of the property, not unlike a damp-course injection and blowing an insecticidal powder into the cavity wall under pressure.

This forms an impenetrable barrier across which the ants cannot go and along with a precautionary internal spray treatment (if deemed necessary) will gradually bring the infestation under control.

The holes, which are only 8mm in diameter remain open so it is a simply matter of topping up the cavity walls every three years to extend the effectiveness of the guarantee in three year terms.

This procedure is best done out in the early spring however it can be done at any time of year.

As a limited time offer before our busy period begins we are offering 25% off the normal cost until May 30 2010. Whilst we normally cover the whole of Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, we are able to travel further afield but this will be reflected in the cost.

For a chat or to arrange an appointment contact Harrier Pest Prevention on Free Phone 0800 019 8382 or 01257 230637

Ant Pest Control ? Don’t put up with flying ant infestations, call us now!