Why It Matters More at Work
Ants walk over drains, bins and floors, then over prep surfaces and open food. In a café, a kitchen or anywhere packing or storing food, that is contamination. Food businesses have a legal duty to keep pests out, and an ant trail across a prep area is the kind of thing an inspection notices.
Outside the food trade it is still a problem. Ants in a staff kitchen become ants in desk drawers and staff complaints. Occasionally foragers get into electrical switch gear, sockets or equipment housings, which is worth taking seriously on any site.
The Ants You Are Likely to Meet
Most sites on business parks and industrial estates have the same visitor as homes: the black garden ant, nesting outside under paving, at the base of the building or beside a loading area, and coming in through door thresholds, service entries and expansion joints for anything sugary.
The one to know about in commercial buildings is the pharaoh ant. It is tiny, pale yellowish and tropical, and it only lives in heated buildings, turning up in places like large kitchens and centrally heated blocks. Spraying pharaoh ants makes the colony split into several, so they need a baiting programme rather than a spray. If you see very small, pale ants indoors in winter, tell us. There is more on both in do ants cause damage.
Do not spray pale indoor ants. If the ants are tiny and yellowish rather than black, leave them alone and ring first. Spraying can turn one colony into several and make the job much longer.
Working Around the Business
Treatment is planned around your premises rather than dropped on it. Before booking we want to know:
- what the premises are and what goes on in each area, especially where food is prepared, stored or served;
- when the site is open and when it is quiet, so work can be timed around staff and customers;
- who holds the keys and who we report to on the day;
- whether there is a landlord or managing agent responsible for the outside of the building.
Gel baits go into cracks and voids, out of reach and away from food and food-contact surfaces. Residual insecticide goes at the nest, the entry points and the outside base of the walls. Treated areas are kept clear until dry and for as long as we advise, and cleaning staff need to know not to wipe or spray bait points for the period we give you.
Keeping Them Out of the Building
- Keep food, sugar, soft drinks and waste in sealed containers.
- Clean spills straight away and rinse bottles and cans before they go in the recycling.
- Keep external bins and waste areas away from doors where you can.
- Once the nest is treated, seal gaps at thresholds, pipe entries and service ducts.
- Keep a simple record of what was seen, where and what was done about it.
Price for Premises
Commercial work is priced for the premises, because a small office and a food production unit are not the same job. The price is confirmed for your site before anything is booked, and what the treatment involves is explained at the same time. Our advice for businesses covers the wider picture on pests and premises in and around Theale, or you can send us the details.