Ants Outdoors

To get rid of ants in the garden follow these simple steps:

• Search > Find the ant nest sites. In most cases ant nests will be in warm, dry sandy soil, often under a rock, paving stone, driveway etc. where the nest is kept dry. On warm days search for a stream of worker ants going back and forth into a hole in the ground. It may be possible to drop bread crumbs in their path and then watch the ants carry the crumbs back the nest. Do not treat this entrance with insecticide yet.
  Now carry out the Kiwicare 1-2-3 Bait-Barrier-Destroy program.

1. Kill the queens >  Use many small amounts of NO Ants Nest Killer Gel Bait or NO Ants Liquid Bait where you see ants or have seen them in the past. If the gel is not being taken, try the liquid bait and vice versa. Workers feed on the bait and take it back to the nest to feed and kill the queen(s) and larvae. Replenish the bait regularly until you see no more (or very few) insects feeding. Only then should you use spray insecticide to eradicate the nests and to act as a barrier to further infestation. Ants are very sensitive to strong chemicals. All dishes or containers used to hold bait should be rinsed well with clean water and dried before use. A great alternative is to use a strip of masking tape and squeeze the bait on top. The tape will hold the bait in place and can be easily removed.
2. Stop them with barriers > NO Ants Barrier Spray, NO Bugs Indoor and NO Bugs Super surface sprays will kill ants that cross the treated surfaces but will also act as a barrier; many species of ant will avoid the treated surfaces if possible. It is best to think of sprays used in and around the home as barriers. Sprinkle LawnPro Protect in flowerbeds, drives and gravel pathways in a ring around the home. When watered in it penetrates the soil killing nests and acting as a ‘curtain’ barrier
3. Deny them a nest site >  Brush NO Ants Ant Sand into the cracks and crevices in paving and driveways to kill nests and prevent ants using these nest entrances.

• How to Get Rid of Ants video.
• How to Deal With Ants in Vehicles.
• Download the 1-2-3 Ant Control Programme

The nests of some species will co-operate and can be regarded as a supercolony. 

Ant colonies contain at least 3 castes (some have a fourth caste of soldier ants):

Queens >  which are fertilised females after the wings are cast off
Males > short-lived often with wings to take part in nuptial flights with females that become queens
Workers > usually sterile females comprising the bulk of the colony.

Foraging workers that you may see out seeking food are usually only about 5% of the colony, so controlling the ants you see with insecticide is only temporary and should only be done after controlling the nest with baits.

Invasive ants such as Argentine ants are more than just a nuisance pest. They are also a threat to New Zealand's biodiversity as they attack and eliminate other insects and invertebrates when they move into a new area. We are at risk of bringing biting ants such as red imported fire ant into New Zealand. There have been three incursions of Fire Ants in New Zealand since 2001 but these have been successfully eradicated by MAF Biosecurity.

As nuisance pests ants can cause electrical and electronic faults when they get into equipment such as electric gates, switchgear, exchanges and computers, they can contaminate foodstuffs, and damage garden plants.

Ant colonies will often combine during Winter and separate again in Summer. During Midsummer - late Autumn, swarms of winged males and females of many species take off on nuptial flights. After their nuptials the ants fall to the ground, the males perish and the fertilised females, now queens, cast their wings and crawl off in search of locations for the establishment of new colonies. Ants evolved from early wasps and the similarity is most noticeable when the ants have wings.

Scientific names of important pest ants in New Zealand:

• Darwin ant - Doleromyrma darwiniana
• Argentine ant  - Linepithema humile 
• White footed ant -  Technomyrmex jocosus
• Pharaohs ant - Monomorium pharaonis

Some ants 'farm' aphids and scale insects for sweet secretions and it worth treating your plants with suitable garden insecticides to control these sapsucking plant pests and deny the ants their food supply.

LawnPro Lawnguard Granules, LawnPro Protector PLANThealth Insect Hit Granules are useful in areas of garden where ants are a nuisance and as an additional barrier around a house or other building. The prills (granules) are sprinkled onto soil and gravel surfaces where ants are travelling and then watered in to take the insecticide deep into the soil, forming a curtain barrier.

More information on Darwin Ants, Argentine Ants and White Footed Ants.

• Download the 1-2-3 Ant Control Programme
• Watch the video on How to Get Rid of Ants