Black ants (Lasius niger) are common throughout the UK. They can nest outside as well as inside properties. There is no health risk from a black ant infestation, but may create a nuisance.

They are social creatures and live in colonies containing workers (infertile females), males, queens and grubs (larvae). Ants mate on the wing, so the "flying ants" that you see in late summer are either males or immature queens.

Red ants and flying ants are all part of the same species and do not pose any different problems. Very occasionally they may bite people, but this causes only mild discomfort.

Black Ant Control

Leicester City Council do not treat black ant infestations because they are common and do not pose a significant risk to human health. It is also easy for a householder to deal with the infestation.

To deal with a black ant infestation we recommend that you:

Seal all sugary and sweet foods in closed containers.

Clean up all spills of food from the floor.

Seal obvious entry points and fill any gaps where the ants might nest.

Obtain an insecticide to treat the ants and apply according to the instructions on the pack. The type of insecticide available to householders can be very effective if used properly.

Pour boiling water into an ants nest to minimise the problem. This is unlikely to be successful if it is the only method used to control the ants.

Pharaoh's Ants

Pharaoh's Ants are a health risk because they can infect foodstuffs with a range of diseases such as food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid and polio. They are a different species of ant to the normal garden black or red ants, being very much smaller at only 1.5 or 2mm long and light brown in colour.

A species originating in North Africa, Pharaoh's Ants like warm damp conditions with a ready supply of food. They will eat almost anything and are very resilient. They breed in colonies which can contain many thousands of ants.

Pharaoh's ants are fortunately quite rare in the UK due to the fact that they require a constant, warm temperature to survive, although we have found these ants in the Leicester area.