How to Tell Which Ants You Have: Garden Ants and Others

A line of ants across the worktop looks the same from the sofa, but not every ant is the same. In the UK, a handful of species cause nearly all the trouble, and they behave quite differently.

Knowing which one you have changes what you should do, so it is worth taking a few minutes to look properly before reaching for a spray.

The common black garden ant

This is the one most people meet. Workers are small, dark brown to black and move in neat trails. They nest outdoors in soil, under paving slabs, along patios, in lawns and at the base of walls, and come indoors looking for sweet food.

Typical signs are a steady line to a spilled drink or jam jar, small piles of fine soil on the edges of paving, and ants emerging between slabs. Colonies can be large, with the nest often outside and some distance from where you see the trail.

A useful test is to follow the line back. If it leads out under a door or through a gap in the brickwork to the garden, you are most likely dealing with a garden ant nest outdoors.

• Small, dark brown to black
• Nests in soil, lawns and under paving
• Trails to sugary food in kitchens
• Small soil mounds between slabs

Flying ants

On warm, humid days in summer, winged ants appear in huge numbers. These are not a different pest. They are the reproductive males and new queens of species such as the black garden ant, leaving to mate.

They tend to emerge from the same nests and often pour out from cracks in paving or from a wall. They last a short while, and the swarm usually disperses within a day or two. If they appear regularly indoors, rather than outside, a nest may be inside the structure and is worth having checked.

Red ants and yellow ants

Reddish-brown ants that nest in lawns, rockeries or under stones may be one of the red ant species, and they can give a small sting or bite if disturbed. Pale yellowish ants that build grassy mounds are usually the yellow meadow ant, which stays mostly underground and seldom comes indoors.

If you are bitten or stung and have a reaction, speak to a pharmacist or GP. Seek urgent help if there is any difficulty breathing or swelling of the face.

Wood ants and carpenter-type ants are far less common in ordinary UK homes, and most house ants turn out to be one of the species described here. If your ants are unusually large or seem to be coming out of timber, take a photograph and ask for advice.

Pharaoh ants and when to be more concerned

The Pharaoh ant is a tropical species that survives in the UK only in heated buildings. It is very small, pale yellow to light brown, and nests in warm, hidden places such as wall voids, behind kitchen units and around pipes and heating.

These ants are more of a concern in places like hospitals, care homes, hotels and blocks of flats, because colonies can spread through a building and are hard to clear. Standard sprays can cause a colony to split into several, so they usually need professional baiting and a planned approach.

If your ants are tiny, pale, found in many rooms or keep coming back through the heating season, take a photo and get an inspection. Essex Pest Solutions can identify the species and recommend what to do.

When you take a photo, get as close and as sharp as you can, with the ant beside a coin for scale. Add a note of where and when you saw them, because it speeds up identification considerably.

Frequently asked questions