Low Toxic Ant Baits & Control in Sydney

The main benefits of safe pest control for ants using baiting techniques that will last long term:

1. Elevation of stress.

Hospitals are the principal premises troubled by infestations of Pharaoh’s ants; it is disturbing to hospital patients to see ants crawling over bedding, food and in their immediate surroundings.

2. Reduction in contamination.

Many infestations organisms are present in hospitals and these may be transmitted to patients by ants crawling on infected surfaces and used dressings.

3. Preventing infestation of foods

Ants find their way into kitchens and larders and there is a natural revision at finding insects in food. The problem in dwellings is usually only regarded as a nuisance but some house householders are deeply disturbed by it.

4. Prevention of waste

Food containing ants is discarded. This must be done to prevent contaminated food being sold or served.

5. Prevention of loss of goodwill and prestige.

Manufacturers, restaurants, bakeries, hotels and canteens handle foods which are highly attractive to ants. Fines may be imposed following prosecution by Environmental Health Departments; publicity resulting from cases of contamination is particularly damaging to reputable companies. Ants in products supplied to leadind retailers may cause production to be stopped and heavy financial loss.

6. Better employee-employer relationship.

Relatively few people will tolerate the presence of ants in their place of work. Employees are sometimes bitten by ants, especially around meal rooms or barbecue areas.

Ant Control Methods

Effective control of ants often relies on a knowledge of their foraging and nesting habits. At the broad level, a knowledge of the nesting habits and feeding habits of important pest species can be helpful. More specifically, where a given infestation is being treated, a thorough survey and inspection should be carried out. By following trails – particularly, where possible, those of workers loaded with food – the location of the nest, either approximately or precisely, may be determined. Direct treatment of the nest, where possible, can provide the most effective, longer-term control. Alternatively, the use of chemical barriers that interfere between the nest and possible food sources is often effective.

Non-chemical prevention and control.

The state of hygiene and sanitation in and around buildings influences the likelihood of infestation by scavenging ants. Indoors, all areas should be kept free of food particles. Typically, surfaces that become contaminated with crumbs and other food particles include kitchen bench surfaces, shelves and drawers, floors, tables, chairs and so on. Food utensils should be washed up soon after use and not left unwashed for long periods. Outdoors, the area should be free of food sources (e.g. bones, unclean pet feeding bowls, unrinsed drink bottles and cans). Tolerating sap-sucking insect pests on plants around a dwelling may serve to support and encourage various ant species.

Chemical control.

The effective use of chemicals to control ants relies on a thorough inspection should attempt to locate nesting sites, feeding sites and the routes of travel between them. Care should be taken when making assumptions about nest location. For example, suppose that ants are trailing under skirting and into a wall void. If a spot treatment to the wall void is carried out, on the assumption that the nesting site lies route if they are, in fact, nesting elsewhere and merely passing through that particular wall void. Once the exact or approximate location of the nest(s) is established, control procedures may involve:

1. The direct treatment of the nesting site. This may be accomplished by the application of dusts, residual surface sprays or space-spray type system where nests are located within the confines of wall voids and the like. Such direct treatment may require drilling or other modifications for access.

2. The formation of residual barriers between nest and food sources. Often it is not possible to treat ant- nesting sites directly. Where this is the case, dusts or surface sprays may be applied to those surfaces, cracks and crevices over which the ants travel for food. As ants can be repelled by certain inssecticides, and as they can be most resourceful in finding new routes to a food source, it is important that the barrier treatment be a comprehensive one that, within the constrains of safe practice, attempts to isolatee the nesting site from food sources.

The deployment of baits

In broad terms, chemical treatments restricted to the inside of premises may achieve good control if all nesting sites are located outdoors as well, interior treatments alone may be very limited in their effectiveness. Some types of insecticide formulations and methods of application for ant control are summarised as Follows:

Surface sprays – In ant control, surface sprays in the form of emulsifiable concentrates, wettable powders, suspension concentrates and foams are foams are widely used. Such treatments may involve treating outdoor nesting sites and/or spraying surfaces over which the ants travel. These may include cracks in paths, wall-path junctions, points of entry such as window stills and door jambs, and wall voids. Ants generally trail along defined architectural lines such as expansion joints, pipe, joints in masonry or edges of paths. Indoors, areas serving as travelling routes might be treated. These may include the bases of skirtings behind kitchen equipment, window and door frameworks, corners among cupboards and benches, and various cracks and crevices. When used effectively, these chemicals, backed up by sound sanitation and hygiene practice, should give suitably long-term protection.

Space sprays – Insecticides applied as space sprays have limited application in ant control procedures. Where the method of application has facility for crack and crevice treatment, this may prove useful for the direct treatment of nesting sites that are reasonably confined (e.g. in brick cavity walls) – provided that safety implications are taken into account.

Dusts – Insecticidal dust formulations can be useful in ant control. They may be applied directly into nesting sites (where known) or lightly on surfaces over which the ants travel. Dusts can be particularly appropriate in the treatment of sensitive areas such as switch-boxes, equipment and wall and roof voids.

Baits – Insecticidal baits are widely used in situations where nest location and treatment is difficult or impossible, or where insecticides in the form of sprays or dusts are not appropriate or allowed. The baiting approach usually relies on the transference of insecticidal baits back to the nest, where all the individuals, including the reproductive female(s), will eventually consume the poison in sufficient quantity yo cause death. Baits are very effective in the control of a variety of ant species. Competition from other food sources is a common hindrance to the effectiveness of baiting. In placing baits, the safety of children and pets should be considered. In general, ants may prefer either carbohydrates, fats or oils, but some may be attracted to two or even three of these food groups.

In summary, ant bait control often relies on:

1. A thorough inspection and survey/analysis of activity patterns.
2. Direct treatment of nests where possible.
3. Formation of insecticidal barriers between nests and food sources and/or the placement of baits in appropriate locations.
4. The adoption of high levels of sanitation and hygiene.