Crawling Insects Control

Out of over 12,000 species of ants that have been classified so far, 4-5 types are especially more common in UAE –

• Odorous House Ants- Black or dark brown; 0.07-0.12 cms.
• Pavement Ants- Often brown; appx. 1 cm.
• Carpenter Ants –Black; Usually between 0.6-1.2 cms.
• Pharaoh Ants – Light brown; 0.2-0.5 cms.

• Ants bite humans they come in contact with. Their bites can cause mild discomfort and some redness or swelling.
• Ants are carriers of germs and contaminate food they come in contact with. Pharaoh Ants especially, are known to carry and transmit a number of harmful pathogens.
• Foods they come in contact with, spoil faster.
• Carpenter Ants tunnel through wood and can significantly damage wooden structures.
• Ants attract other pests that feed on them. This includes – Spiders, Beetles, Flies, Lizards and even Snakes.

All species prefer warm, moist environments with food. This causes them to seek kitchens especially those that contain easily accessible foods (unsealed bags of cereal, bread, dirty dishes), bathrooms that usually have some moisture and sinks that may have remnants of their diet. Pharaoh Ants in particular, prefer the constant artificial warm temperature provided indoors.

They are Omnivorous pests that follow scents and odors. They have a varied diet and especially prefer sweet foods, protein, breads and liquids. Carpenter Ants specifically thrive on decaying wood. This eusocial pest sends its scouts to look for food sources. Once a source is identified, these ants send pheromones to guide other ants to the location.

• Ants on any exposed food. The amount of time they take could indicate how close the infestation is.
• Wooden sawdust below or around a wooden structure – In case of Carpenter Ants
• An obvious sign would be seeing a line of ants travelling to and from a particular nest. A less conspicuous sign would be solo ants (scout) moving around.
• Ant nests on your exterior walls. These nests are mostly made of soil.
• Odorous house ants also leave traces of a sweetish, rotting coconut smell when squished. Remember 1 ant is enough to indicate the presence of more ants nearby.

• A Queen ant mates with short-lived male ants and lays hundreds to thousands of eggs per day and a few millions in her lifetime.

  The life cycle of an ant comprises of four stages and can take between 6-10 weeks to complete.

  The lifespan of Ants depends upon its species and its caste –

  Male Ants – Die after a few days of mating. They have a lifespan of a few weeks.

  Queen Ants – Could live for over 10 years. Pharaoh Ant Queens live for 2-3 years

  Worker Ants – Have a lifespan ranging between 2 months to a few years. The workers of the commonly found Odorous House Ant and Carpenter Ant could live for 2-3 years.

  The dreaded Pharaoh Ant however only lives for 2-3 months. Dreaded because their ability to split and form multiple colonies under threat, makes it hard to get rid of them.