Latest news with #ants
The Sun
13 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
B&M's £1 pantry staple will banish flying ants from home – as ‘tens of millions' of insects to swarm UK in just DAYS
THE B&M pantry staple that will keep pests out of your home, as experts warn this year's Flying Ant Day could be one of the biggest in recent years. This handy hack offers a low-cost, toxin free way of keeping the pesky insects away ahead of pest control experts' warnings. 2 Ground pepper can be used to deter ants from your home and is available for £1 at B&M. A study from Vanderbilt University says that ants have 400 smell receptors which allow them not only to smell their immediate surroundings, but also play a role in their communication and navigation. That is why putting down strong scents like pepper can help to deter them, as it will overload their receptors. Cheap trick to keep your home pest free There are a couple of different ways that you can use the pepper deterrent. The easiest is to simply sprinkle it in areas where you typically see ants in your home. However, you can also use it to mix up a makeshift bug spray, offering a cheaper alternative to forking out on insect repellent. By mixing one measure of pepper to ten measures of water you will create a spray which can then be used throughout your home. A Texas A&M University showed that water with pepper is more likely to kill ants than water alone. Where to spray the ingredient in your home However, be careful not to spray it near where your pets might be, as it could cause irritation to their respiratory system or cause an upset stomach. Pest control experts are anti a significant surge in flying ant activity this year, as a result of the ideal combination of altering wet and warm weather. Biggest flying ant day in recent memory This summer's particularly high humidity is perfect for swarming. Experts have suggested that year's Flying Ant Day - the annual mating flight where millions fill the skies in synchronised displays - could be one of the biggest in recent years. Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, told Manchester Evening News: 'While flying ants may disrupt your picnic, barbeque, or pub garden pint, they play a vital role in the ecosystem.' He added: "This natural event, when vast numbers of winged ants, known as alates, take to the skies at once in search of mates from other colonies, could be one of the most prolific for years." Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
Flying Ant Day: When is it? Have you seen any?
Picture the scene, it's a nice sunny afternoon and then suddenly an ANT FLIES AT YOUR FACE... Every summer there is a day when thousands of giant flying ants emerge from their nests roughly at the same time - known as Flying Ant the name, it can happen over a number of days and sees giant black ants with wings taking flight across the UK in warm weather. Why do ants fly? Flying Ant Day usually arrives during the summer months. Flying queens, which are larger, along with smaller male flying ants fly off to set-up new there is no such thing as a specific 'Ant Day', scientists have found that ants are good at short term weather prediction so chose a warm and calm day to is often in mid to late summer in the UK but varies across the country. Speaking to BBC Newsround, Cesar Wang, from Ant HQ, a flying Ant expert and ant-keeper who supplies ants for research said: "Rather than being a single day, it's more like a season, so it can actually start as early as June, all the way into September. "For example, I'm based in London and in London it's a very developed city, loads of buildings, so heat tends to accumulate a bit more, so ant nests which may be beneath paving slabs which absorb heat. "Their [the ants] development tends to increase and tends to be a little bit faster than usual, so these queen ants will hatch a bit earlier." Noting that flying ants may already be making an appearance this year, Cesar explained that "this year we've had quite a hot spring so we'll typically see flying ants emerging a little bit earlier." Are flying ants anything to worry about? While it might not be particularly pleasant to have several large ants flying at your face, Cesar says they're completely "harmless". Queen ants can be a bit scary if you've never seen them before, they're definitely much larger than the typical worker ants that you see in the park or garden."But here in the UK, there are 60-odd species and none of them have a lethal sting or bite and they won't be able to do anything to a human." Phew!
The Sun
18-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
The easy homemade mixture that keeps pesky ants at bay in your home AND garden and the secret spot you need to spray
THE WEATHER is finally perfect for relaxing in your garden with a cold drink, but the ambience could easily be ruined by some unexpected guests. Not your neighbours popping round, but pesky ants who can take over your outdoor area during the hot summer months. 2 In fact, in the UK, the ant is the most common insect, so it's no surprise they seem to be just about everywhere, especially when the sun comes out. They're drawn to areas with moisture and food, which is why they're in gardens on the hunt for their next feast. But don't worry - you don't have to break the bank to keep the creepy crawlies at bay. Removing leaves, flowers and twigs is a must for gardeners keen to keep their space ant-free. Getting rid of these three things alone will make your space less attractive to ants. And although it may take a bit of work to get the job done, it will all be worth knowing you can put your feet up in peace afterwards. Gardening pro James Higgins at Grass247, recently revealed how garden fans can banish ants without harming them - and removing these three things from your garden is a must. He told the Mirror: 'Ants are attracted to dead organic waste in our gardens, such as leaves, flowers and even twigs.' Ants, as pesky as they may be, don't technically damage plants but can potentially damage the roots in pots, as well as cause havoc on lawns, the Royal Horticultural Society noted. This is why it's important to ditch organic waste to deter them in the first place. 'Killer' ants invading US as carnivorous insects attack humans with needle-like bite – and number will spike in weeks Plus, you get the added bonus of having a spick and span garden just in time for summer. 'So, if you've been doing any gardening, make sure you clean up any lingering waste and place it in a secure area, such as your garden waste bin or your garden compost,' the gardening whizz added. More tricks to keep ants out Ideally, you should deal with ants when they're still in your garden and not your home, Steven Walley, patio and paving expert from London Stone, told The signs could be small piles of sand or dirt around your patio slabs or pavement. Where these dirt piles are usually mean there's a nest nearby, so starting off with any treatments in these spots is the best course of action. Simply mix one part vinegar and three parts of water together and pour or spray it on any areas you suspect ants could be living. "If your garden patio is near the entryway of your home, don't forget to spray the solution on entry points such as window sills and backdoors, to deter them from coming inside," the pro said. Repeat this process once a week and the ants should naturally move on from your garden and home. Once the ant problem is dealt with it's also important to keep them from coming back. One way to do this, according to Steven, is the keep standing water, household bins and compost bins as far from your home as possible, since they're attracted to all three. Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Ask the head gardener: How can I keep ants off my plants?
Dear Tom, I have infestations of ants in the polytunnel in my garden – they have destroyed the tender plants. I have tried all the various organic methods: paprika, chilli powder, white vinegar and drowning the nests; alas, to no avail. Any other ideas? – Liz, Cornwall Dear Liz, I'm so sorry to hear that Liz; growing plants can be challenging enough at the best of times, let alone adding a nest of hundreds, if not thousands, of ants into the mix. The presence of ants in our gardens or around our homes can be quite unnerving, but in reality, they provide an important part of a wider ecosystem, acting as food for many birds and mammals. Ants in lawns can be tolerated by simply removing the mounds of soil as they appear on the surface; it is best to remove the soil before mowing to avoid smearing the turf. When ants build a nest in a compost heap, that extra level of aeration can help accelerate the composting process, and therefore they cause little damage. Powders and boiling water aren't always that effective – although these methods can make us feel better for a fleeting period of time, because we feel that we've done something about it, very little else is achieved. Ants can cause harm when plants are particularly young, or low-growing to the ground, such as alpines or container plants, where the excavation of the soil can physically disturb and damage a plant. The warm and dry conditions that are created in your polytunnel will create an ideal environment for ants. There are a few techniques that you can adopt to discourage ants from nesting in your polytunnel, however. First, you can make the ground conditions less than ideal, forcing the ants to relocate to a less sensitive part of the garden. This is a more realistic approach compared to complete eradication, which is counterproductive when it comes to your garden ecosystem. It is a challenge to keep areas of soil biologically active in protected environments with fertile and moist conditions throughout the year, where no natural rainfall can hydrate the soil. Many of us come to plant our tomatoes and cucumbers in open ground in greenhouses and polytunnels in the late spring, and find that our soils are more like sawdust than the rich, moisture-retentive soil that we require. This is often the result of a degree of neglect over the winter. I would suggest keeping any open soil within the polytunnel regularly mulched and watered to make that area less hospitable and inviting for ants to take up residence. Secondly, you can look at applying nematodes (microscopic parasites) to the area, such as Steinernema feltiae (available online), which will prey on the larvae but not kill the adult ants. The combination of moist ground and the presence of nematodes is likely to deter the ants and encourage them to relocate, let's hope to an area outside of the polytunnel, which is less sensitive. Finally, if you have staging or tables within your polytunnels, apply a layer of petroleum jelly to your table legs or staging to prevent or discourage ants from climbing; this will keep them from accessing your young plants in pots, where the excavation can do a lot of damage. Generally, in a garden, ants do little damage to plants that are planted in the ground, but they encourage and protect aphids and other sap-sucking pests in their production of honeydew. This process is sometimes described as the ants 'farming' the aphids. The presence of ants can be detrimental to the plant in the way that they protect the aphids from predators such as ladybirds and allow those populations to build up to the point that they can weaken the plant by reducing its vigour and photosynthesising capabilities. Keep an eye on aphid populations within your garden and use SB Plant Invigorator once or twice a week when you see an outbreak, to keep those numbers under control.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Keep ants out of your house with 5p kitchen staple that's a super effective deterrent
THIS handy hack offers a low-cost, toxin-free way of keeping pesky ants out of your house. Summer is approaching, bringing glorious weather along with it. 3 But the arrival of the warmer months also often means more pests and creepy crawlies around and about. Everyone has been there with finding an unwelcome party of ants scurrying around your floors. While there are many insect repellents available from shops, people looking to save a bit of cash might look to budget-friendly solutions. One kitchen staple offers a low-cost hack to keep ants out of your living room. Common kitchen pepper can be used to deter ants from entering your home - and providing a much cheaper option to insect spray. A study from Vanderbilt University says that ants 400 smell receptors - far more than many other small insets. These don't just help ants sense their immediate surroundings, but also play a role in their communication and navigation. That's why putting down strong scents like pepper can help deter them - as it will overload their receptors. There are a couple of ways you can use pepper to keep the ants away, according to Yahoo News. One is to simple sprinkle it in the areas where you typically see ants in the home, whether that's on your floorboards or window ledges. You can also use it to mix a makeshift bug spray, with one measure of pepper to ten measures of water. This can be sprayed anywhere you seen ants in your home. The spray can even kill the ants, with a Texas A&M University study showing that water with pepper is more likely to take them out than water alone. However, be careful not to spray it near where your pets might be, as it could irritate their respiratory system or cause stomach upset. IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass. But pepper isn't the only low cost way of keeping ants away from you house. Regular cleaning and wiping of surfaces is always a helpful means of reducing your chance of finding pests indoors. Cleaning up crumbs and spills - especially for sugary drinks - will also help. Make sure rotten food is thrown away and that any containers are properly sealed.
