Pest Control Guide: Ants

Ants

The most common Irish ants you’ll encounter are black garden ants. Although not dangerous, they can be a nuisance when they forage within your home, destroy your paving, or in hot summer months when they take flight as part of their yearly mating cycle. If unlucky, you may also encounter the pharaoh, fire or ghost ant within your home or business. Be sure to identify them correctly as incorrect pesticide use can worsen the problem with some species. Our guide will help you identify and prevent different ant infestations.

Black Garden Ants:

Habitat:

The garden ant tends to be found in dry, sandy soil. This type of soil can be found in flower beds, potting areas, at grass edges, or under paving stones/slabs. Which is why they can appear in all corners of your garden. Look along paving stones for mounds of soil forming around small openings, these small gaps are often entry and exit points for the colony. They can also imbed themselves in cavities or tunnels created near the edge wall of your home. Within the home, they will most commonly be found in the kitchen, although if you’re a bedroom snacker don’t be surprised to find them there.

Appearance:

The worker ants generally range from 3 to 5 mm in length, with queens spanning up to 9mm. The name ‘black garden ant’ is slightly misleading as the can vary from a dark brown shade to black, but all will appear slightly glossy.

Lifecycle of the black garden ant:

Within Ireland, the mating period for these ants takes place during the hot summer months, usually late July-August when an noticeable increase in temperature occurs. During this mating process, reproductive males and virgin queens will take to the sky causing masses of ‘flying ants’. The males will die off within a few days of the mating cycle. Whereas the queens will create a new cycle by discarding her wings, tunnelling and hatching a new colony. Astonishingly, the queens can live for as long as 20 years!

How to get rid of black ants in your home:

1. Identify Where the Ants Are Coming From

If you notice black ants indoors, start by observing their movement. Ants travel in visible trails, often leading back to an entry point such as cracks in walls, gaps around doors, or areas near paving outside. In most cases, the colony is located outdoors, with ants entering your home in search of food.

2. Remove Food Sources and Clean Thoroughly

Eliminating access to food is essential. Store food in sealed containers, clean up crumbs immediately, and wipe down surfaces to remove sugary residues. This also helps erase the pheromone trails ants use to navigate, reducing further activity.

3. Use Ant Treatments Carefully

Over-the-counter ant products are widely available, including sprays and bait stations. While sprays can kill visible ants quickly, they rarely address the root of the problem—the queen. Bait-based treatments are more effective, as they allow ants to carry poison back to the nest and target the colony at its source. However, these treatments can take time and may not always fully eliminate the infestation.

4. Consider Professional Ant Control

For persistent or recurring infestations, professional pest control is the most reliable solution. A trained technician can locate nesting sites, including hidden colonies in walls, under paving, or near foundations, and apply targeted treatments that eliminate the entire colony.

Professional ant treatments are fast, cost-effective, and designed to break the lifecycle completely—preventing the problem from returning.

If you are planning a professional treatment, it’s best to leave ant activity undisturbed. Active trails make it easier to identify entry points and nesting locations, allowing for a quicker and more effective service.