Pest Control In Barnet

Not based in Barnet? Other local areas our pest control experts cover include Watford, St Albans and Wembley.

Often more associated with a country picnic than an urban neighbourhood such as Barnet, ants are a pest, appearing in droves and crawling over exposed food if not quickly dealt with.

However, whilst these black ants are undoubtedly a nuisance, a more tropical variant is frequently causing havoc in Barnet: the pharaoh ant.

Yellow-brown in colour, and also transparent in some cases, pharaoh ants are particularly troublesome because of their inability to tolerate the chilly and inclement British weather. Preferring to live in large heated buildings, whole colonies of pharaoh ants require professional and experienced pest control services to be eliminated.

Tropical trouble

Originating from a more tropical climate, the pharaoh ant seeks out buildings where there is a constant source of warmth such as blocks of flats, office units or even hospitals.

In Barnet, leafy districts such as Hampstead Garden Suburb and Mill Hill offer plenty of hedge-lined gardens and green spaces for black ants to occupy. This can sometimes spill over into the home with ants seeking out food for the queen and her young. Over the counter ant treatments may be effective for small numbers but if the number starts to climb, professional pest control services may be required.

But Barnet also has lots of more densely populated areas, such as Childs Hill with its famous high rise flats. Even areas such as Edgware which have rural features, also contain more urban developments too such as the new Millennium Flats in Manor Park Crescent.

This is the reason why many pest control firms are being asked to handle several pharaoh ant problems every year; despite the fact they are not an indigenous insect. The high rise accommodation and warm, comfortable living makes it a paradise for the heat-seeking pharaoh ant.

Pharaoh ants do not exclusively inhabit apartments and flats; they can also be found in houses but less frequently. Public buildings such as hospitals aren’t out of the question and a single colony can take over an office block, ousting all other types of insect pest within just six months.

Worse than a bite

Pharaoh ants are very different to their black counterparts and may initially seem to be less of a threat, being around half the size.

In addition, pharaoh ants do not bite, one of the more irritating features of black ants!

But although the pharaoh ant does not bite, the risks it introduces are far worse.

The problems come because of the places a pharaoh ant could frequent. Attracted to both protein and sugar, the pharaoh seeks out food which offers this. In many cases this means meat.

Pharaoh ants travel from one meat source to another, contaminating everything they walk in and collecting bacteria. This means they can be a source of nasties such as salmonella which can very easily be transmitted to humans via the food they walk in.

If you have pharaoh ants, it is imperative you discard any food they have been near, even if you are not entirely sure whether it has been affected. The risks involved are simply too great to take.

As well as meat, which is a source of high protein, pharaoh ants also make a beeline for sugary foods such as fruit and jam. They can even attempt to get into wounds and under skin dressings to feed on the sugar and protein contained in the human body!

Don’t risk it

Pharaoh ants are a persistent pest and eliminating them will be impossible without professional help. Professional pest control sources will have the means to get rid of them once and for all, quickly and conveniently.

There are lots of other pests which might also plague your Barnet home: bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, rats, birds, squirrels, flies and bees. Don’t put up with the nuisance, call in the experts and free your home from unwanted visitors.