The ants most often found in the UK are the garden ants which are black or dark brown in colour. If you’ve seen a few ants scuttling around on the floor, they might be just having a look around. However, they might also be the sign of a larger ant infestation. They are attracted to anything that’s sweet or sticky which is why a common place to see garden ants is in the kitchen. The ants will lay down a pheromone trail from the food to the nest and this chemical will attract other ants to the food. You may see swarms of flying ants and this would be the fertile males and immature queens breeding in flight. In spring the queens then lay their eggs in nests.

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Other ants which may be found in the UK are: Pharaoh’s ants, The Ghost ants, Crazy ants, Roger ants and the Argentine ants.  It’s important to get a correct identification so that the infestation can be dealt with effectively.

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Ants will walk across unhygienic surfaces and dirt before entering your home so potentially there is a risk of contamination to food and worktops. Some of the tropical species of ants will also bite.