ANTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WARM WINTER TO INFEST MORE HOMES
▶ Pest control companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are dealing with more cases than usual
Unseasonably warm weather is leading to more ant infestations than usual for this time of year.
In Dubai, pest control companies have already received hundreds of complaints of insect infestations from residents in Jumeirah Park, Arabian Ranches and Victory Heights.
It is a similar story in Abu Dhabi, with residents filing more than 16,000 service requests for ant control with Tadweer, the emirate’s waste management company – up 1,000 on last year.
Dubai pest control company Rentokil said they were also receiving more call-outs than usual.
“Ants are there throughout the year, but in the UAE, the time of their sightings varies with temperature,” said Dinesh Ramachandran, health and environment manager at Rentokil.
“This isn’t necessarily a seasonal thing, though we do tend to do more call-outs during the summer months.
“We step in to control the ants or infestations, not eradicate them. All ants can be managed and controlled in an urban setup.”
The National joined Rentokil experts during a pest control
call-out at a large villa in Jumeirah Park this week.
Kim Ocbina, technical inspector, said each visit starts by identifying what species of pest has been sighted.
“Once we know, we then locate the nest, recommend good practices such as building proofing, better storage options and waste management, and then we formulate a treatment regime that best controls the ant species in question,” he said.
“In areas that have a lot of vegetation, such as villas with gardens, we tend to get a lot of call-outs.
“Some ants enjoy gardens because they’re a great source of
food. Water sources, such as sprinklers, attract them too.”
The UAE is home to several ant species, many of which can appear quite similar.
But, Mr Ramachandran said, their habitat, biology and behaviour can be very different.
Pharaoh ants are primarily nocturnal, feeding on a variety of food including small insects.
Crazy ants get their name from the way they scurry around erratically when searching for food. They are mainly found outdoors and in kitchens. Pavement ants nest b eneath pavements or in cracks in buildings.
“Generally, ants enter a property through open doors, windows, gaps, cracks and crevices,” he said.
“It is important to ensure the property is pest-proofed to help prevent any unwanted pest incursions. Most ant species are nuisance pests, although some can bite.”
He said the biters include fire ants and Samsun ants, which can be best controlled using granular bait.
These ants carry a stinger and, if threatened, may inject venom that can cause anaphylactic shock, but only in severe cases.
Pharaoh ants, which are common in the UAE, can be controlled using gel bait.
Ants take the bait or poison to their nests and feed it to the queen ant. It is a slow process and can take three to seven days to work.
“Broad-spectrum insecticides work if the nest is soaked, but this is largely not recommended because it pollutes the environment,” Mr Ramachandran said.
“But depending on the type of infestation, this is sometimes the only solution.”
The company uses only chemicals approved by Dubai Municipality.
Scottish resident Cheryl Sophie, 36, said her apartment in
Dubai Sports City was overrun by ants recently.
“I moved into a brand-new building and was the first tenant in my one- bedroom apartment so was shocked when I noticed an army of ants gathered around my window,” she said.
“The problem was driving me mad because I am meticulously clean and never leave food out.
“After I called out pest control to sort the situation, they told me it was likely they were garden ants entering through my balcony.
“I have a lot of high-maintenance house plants that I water every two days so the damp soil was attracting them.”
Bana Shomali from ServiceMarket.com, an online platform for home services, said sugar ants are often found in apartments and villas.
“They are tiny reddish-brown ants that do not bite,” she said.
“They are not dangerous and are usually found because of sweet and sugary foods.
“Garden ants, which are about 4 millimetres to 6mm in size, can be found outside in the garden or balcony.
“The main reason for this is that they often breed in potted plants.”