Hotter seasons often mean an increased presence of sugar ants but the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife has advice for keeping them away from your home.
'Sugar ants become much more active as the heat and wet weather drives them out of their nests to explore their surroundings,' chief executive Susanna Bradshaw said.
'Like their name suggests, sugar ants do indeed like to eat sugar and all things sweet but they aren't fussy and will go for a wide range of foods.
'These ants are harmless, native animals that play an important role in our natural food web.'
To keep sugar ants out of your home, Ms Bradshaw recommended keeping ingredients in sealed containers, surfaces free from crumbs and making your backyard appealing to them with leaf litter and bushes that attract bees.
For troublesome ants, spray a lemon and water mixture around the perimeter of your house.
'Ants are the vacuum cleaners of our natural world,' she said. 'Without them we would have plenty of old food and dead insects lying around, plus ants help aerate our soils and bring seeds into their underground nests that help grow our forests.'
If you have a severe pest problem in your home, talk to your local pest control expert.
To find out if sugar ants are in your area, visit www.ala.org.au.
- Published in Wanneroo Times
