Hi all.
Just a quick note to inform you all that I have had to change my hosting services provider due to my previous one going out of business. The new one I have just transferred to (Hostinger) seems to be extremely good, so all should go well.
However, there may be a few teething issues , including with the contacting of me.
Therefore if you wish to contact me you can either replying to this thread or email me on my**@an*****.uk
I will try to reply ASAP (usually within 24 hours). However, please be aware that I am rather busy these days so do excuse me if it takes a little longer for me to reply.
When contacting me with a question it is best to provide as much information as possible.
If you ask the question here you can ask anonymously without giving a name or email, and I will reply here. Any email you do provide in this thread should be automatically hidden by the website.
Oh, and please; do not ask me how to destroy ants or their nests as you will not receive a reply. I am in the business of educating people about how fascinating the creatures are and how to keep them as pets. I am not Rentokill!
Thank you.
Hi,
There is an ants nest on the outside of my conservatory. It’s been there a while and I’ve not disturbed them. But, they leave small debris inside my conservatory which I collect in a dust pan and chuck on the lawn.
Is it possible to move the nest to somewhere else, is there someone who likes ants nests can come and take it away to put somewhere else?
Or, do I put up with it and keep clearing out the ‘debris’ from the inside of my conservatory?
Any help appreciated.
Thanks.
John
Hi John
Can you move the ant nest from outside your conservatory? In a word, no. Not unless you’re prepared to dig up the ground just outside your conservatory. The depositing of the debris inside your conservatory is due to them expanding their nest. If you don’t want the ants in your conservatory, or their debris then simply put down some ant powder where they are getting in.
No, I do not know of anybody who likes ants that can come and remove the nest for you. Sorry.
Hi, We have what appears to be an ants colony/nest behind the skirting board in our kitchen/conservatory. We see a lot of them running in and out, many are winged and we don’t know what to do, if anything, about them! We do not wish to hurt of destroy them, but we would like to know how we can encourage them outside. Is there a possibility the residence will get larger?!
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hello Kate
Thank you for your question.
I can’t imagine that the founding queen of this colony did so by coming into your house and secreting herself behind your skirting board. I think rather she entered your house by other means, externally, and has ended up nesting where she currently is.
Do you have any ant nests of the same species outside your house, perhaps under the pavement near the wall of your house nearest the room with the skirting board? If so then it could well be the same nest, but with an alternative entrance that allows the ants to emerge into your kitchen. If this is the case, you could always capture a worker ant from within your kitchen and place it at the entrance of the nest outside. If she is immediately welcomed, then it’s more than likely two entrances to the same nest. You can then perhaps seal the part of the skirting board where the ants come into your house, without fear of the ants being trapped within the walls of your house.
It is possible that the colony can get bigger, if the food supply is plentiful. To raise flying ants, especially if they are the larger winged queens, a colony needs a good food supply. It also needs to be established; at least 2-3 years old. It sounds like your colony is becoming well established. This tells me they must have another entrance to their nest outside as I am sure they do not find all their required food supply from within your house.
If the ants are in the foundations/walls of your house, then I’m afraid to say that it is going to be rather difficult to remove them without professional help.
My advice would be to seal up any holes you find inside your ants through which the ants gain access to your house. Do not seal up, or otherwise disturb any entrances to the nest that are outside your house which that colony could be using, as this could encourage the ants to seek further exits within your house.
Also ensure that there is no food for the ants to claim, such as crumbs/spillages on the floor/surfaces of your kitchen conservatory. If ants find no food in one area of their territory, they will concentrate their foraging efforts in other areas.
I hope this helps.
Hi there
We have bought an ant farm online and plan to give it to our son in a weeks time, but are concerned if the ants can stay wrapped up for that amount of time. Currently they are in a very small little box about the size of a regular dice. Do we need to get them out ASAP? Are they suffering in any way? or can we wait for our son’s birthday.
Many thanks in advance
John
Hello John
Thank you for your question.
I was very surprised to hear that your ants have arrived in something so small. When you say “regular dice” I am picturing the small dice you get in children’s board games. Is it really that small?
Usually ant colonies turn up in test tubes, in which case there would be no issue. The O2 intake of an ant is minuscule, even for a starter colony. However, I am concerned about the very small size of the “dice”. In this case I would recommend placing the ants in the ant farm sooner rather than later, even before your son’s birthday. In that way at least he won’t have to worry about doing that himself.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions about your son’s ants. I hope he gets as much enjoyment out of them as I do mine.
Myrm