Flying Ant Day can be terrifying if you’re scared of ants and just plain annoying if you’re not.
The phenomenon known as nuptial flight is harmless and if possible, it’s best left alone.
Nuptial flight is nothing sinister;
Flying Ant Day can be terrifying if you’re scared of ants and just plain annoying if you’re not.
The phenomenon known as nuptial flight is harmless and if possible, it’s best left alone.
Nuptial flight is nothing sinister; it prevents inbreeding among ants and enables them to establish new colonies.
Ants play a crucial role in ecosystems: they aerate soil, help to recycle nutrients, improve garden fertility and control pests.
They also provide food for small amphibians and reptiles as well as birds including seagulls which become intoxicated from eating large quantities of them.
But if you’ve got winged ants invading your home you’ll want to put a stop to it as soon as possible.
These simple but effect measure will keep ants out of your home and control their numbers.
1. Spray the ants with dishwashing soap
Dishwashing soap is an effective agent against flying ants, as it attaches to their bodies and dehydrates them. Get yourself a spray bottle to catch the little creatures in flight and mix two generous squirts of dish washing liquid with water.
2. Catch them with sticky tape
Lure the little things in with a food source and place some tape as close as possible with the sticky side up.
3. Attack ants with an artificial sweetener
Certain types of sweeteners are very toxic for ants. For example, if you mix in the sweetener with apple juice, it forms a viscous paste that the ants will carry back to the colony. Once consumed there, it will kill off a portion of their population.
4. Use insecticidal powder
An insecticidal lacquer can be applied around door thresholds or wall and floor junctions where ants run, or spray these areas with an insecticidal aerosol which is labelled for this use.
5. Place tin cans over the ant hill
This should be done in the morning. As it heats up, the ants take their eggs up into the can. In the afternoon slide a piece of cardboard under each can, and remove and dispose of the eggs. They make a nice treat for birds, especially chickens.
6. Pour boiling water into the ant hill
Once you have located the ant hill, pour boiling water over it. This should kill most of the ants and detract other ones from coming back.