Ants

Obsidian Pest Control specialises in addressing ant infestations in London, employing technicians who are well-versed in the habits of each ant species and equipped with a comprehensive arsenal of pest control techniques. 

Our services provide peace of mind, assuring clients that their ant problems are thoroughly addressed. We offer a responsive call-out service to tackle ant and other pest control issues promptly, ensuring the safety of your family and pets with our fast and effective solutions. 

Here's a brief overview of the ant species we commonly deal with: 

Garden (Black) Ants: 

These ants range from 4-5mm in size, with queens reaching up to 15mm. They typically nest in soil, brickwork, or under bark, laying eggs in the spring. Attracted to sweet foods, garden ants leave pheromone trails to guide others to food sources. 

Pharaoh’s Ants: 

Measuring 1.5-2mm in length, with queens at 4-6mm, Pharaoh's ants are yellow-brown in color. Originating from the tropics, they thrive in heated environments such as hospitals and hotels. Feeding on decomposing food, they carry harmful germs acquired during feeding. 

Red Fire Ants: 

Red fire ants can grow up to 3mm in length, with queens reaching 6mm. These reddish-brown ants form colonies of over 100,000 individuals led by a queen producing up to 200 eggs daily. They construct mounds in sunny areas, and their painful stings affect both animals and humans. 

Argentine Ants:  

Argentine ants are aggressive, often eliminating other types of ants in the same area. Worker ants will follow food trails for long distances so nests are not easy to track. They prefer sweet foods but will also eat live and dead insects, meats, cereals and damaged fruit. Argentine ants are very ordinary-looking, small brown ants. They are small and slender, 2.6 to 3.2mm long, and are dark brown in colour 

Ghost Ants:  

The ant comes from the tropics and so needs warmth and protection. Ghost ants are highly adaptable in their nesting habits and can be found in spaces between walls, between cupboards, folded clothing or linen, or in the soil of potted plants. Indoors they are mainly found in the kitchen and bathroom as they look for food and water. In kitchens they prefer sweet items such as packages of sugar, honey or candy. They will also feed on grease deposits although not as readily as they will on sweets. Trails are often difficult to see due to the tiny size and pale colour of these ants, and their random feeding pattern. The ghost ant is a very tiny ant, 1.5-2mm long Pale almost see through body and legs, with a darker head and thorax. 

Control: The use of residual sprays or dusts will cause stress on Pharaoh’s, Argentine, Ghost and Red Fire Ant colonies, causing them to split into sub- colonies that scatter to other areas in the structure. This is also called budding. After spraying, the problem can be worse than at the beginning. Slow acting gel bait should be used. Quick kill insecticides and baits will only kill the foraging ants, thus not allowing them to take the bait back home to feed the queen, nest workers and brood.