Garden Ants have red or black segmented bodies and the workers are about 5mm in length. The garden ant is found throughout Britain and will nest in gardens and around buildings often entering premises in search of food.In large numbers these ants can sometimes be a nuisance but they do not generally spread disease. They are attracted to sugary foods and although finding them in food is unpleasant it does not necessarily present any risk to health

Life Cycle Garden ants mate in flight when males and females swarm between mid July and mid September ( flying ants). After mating the male dies and the female loses her wings and buries herself in the soil over the winter. In late Spring the female lays eggs which hatch into white larvae within 3-4 weeks. These larvae are fed by the Queen , changing into an adult ant usually within two months. In favourable conditions the nest may remain in the soil for several years.

Control
You can take some simple measures to control garden ants yourself.

Find the nest, (you may be able to follow the ants to the nest) and destroy it by pouring boiling water over the entrance.

You can treat it with ant powder or spray which can be purchases from hardware stores and supermarkets. Make sure you read and follow the instructions given.

Ensure that sugary foods are kept in sealed containers and that all spillages are cleaned up.

If these fail the Council will visit and carry out a treatment, however a charge is made.

FLYING ANTS
Flying ants are not a separate type of ant. They are merely winged black ants, which emerge from the nest in large numbers over a short time period. This usually occurs in the late summer and will often occur from many nests in an area at the same time. The winged ants fly away. The males then die within a few days. The mated females go on to create new colonies.

The emergence of flying ants from a nest is not something which can be prevented by any professional pest controller, nor can they usually attend quickly enough to treat such "swarming" once it has happened, since it is often over in a few hours. The only control that is instant enough to have any effect, is the use of a knock-down aerosol insecticide, i.e.: fly-spray, and physical controls such as keeping doors and windows closed.