Flying ants season about to arrive

They advance guard arrived a couple of days ago. The rest are now making an appearance!
We get them coming from one of the skirting boards so leave one of those circular traps that contain the stuff they take back to their nest.

They bring back horrible memories. One of the houses I lived in, the flying ants swarmed through the wall under the window into the living room. It was horrific. It happened three years in succession and then we needed the harking replaced under that window and that stopped the annual influx. But prior to that, nothing stopped them.

Spray peppermint oil around all windows or wherever they get in,works wonders,on spiders and wasps too.

Hope it ends soon!

We just had the 17 year cicada invasion here.... glad it is over.

Thank you infoman for the advance warning. I have a really bad phobia about ants. If I find one in the house it makes me ill. As a child I remember the cupboards being full of them after my mother burst a bag of sugar and didn’t clean it up properly. I don’t like them but as long as they are outside it’s ok. If I find one inside it makes me completely freak out. For some reason I always associate seeing an ant indoors with news of a death. Obviously getting more crazy with each year that passes !

Oh yes the dreaded flying ants.
They seem to coincide with humid weather here anyway.

Making a mental note 'trousers tomorrow, no skirts or low necklines'!

My son was born on the 22nd July and we have had several birthday parties affected by flying ants in the garden. On the day I brought him home, there was an invasion in the kitchen and I went mad, screaming that I could not bring my baby into the house with them there and sat in the car until my husband got rid of them!

After some research I discovered that they fly after the temperature has been high for a number of days ( cannot remember the exact temp but it was possibly 22 C ) and in the house they cluster around a window because they are trying to fly outside where they mate in the air - then the males die!

So I’m not expecting them just yet as I don’t think it has been that warm in Manchester,

timetogo2016

Spray peppermint oil around all windows or wherever they get in,works wonders,on spiders and wasps too.

I found bunches of them hanging in the conservatory one year.

They seem immune to peppermint oil, bunches of mint and in fact anything here, as do spiders.

Yuck!

Where we live in Canada we don't have flying ants, thankfully, just the regular terrestrial kind

I did spend some time living in Northern areas where they have a certain type of fly that's known locally as a fish fly. They show up every summer. They don't DO anything, don't bite or sting, but they tend to gather together on buildings and they look really gross.

Having watched them ‘fly up and off’ in the garden over several years, it’s a fascinating sight.Never had any in the house, thank goodness.

Oh blimey Callistemon,thats crazy.
I live in the The West Midlands and it really does work here,not that that helps you sadly.

I'll have another try timetogo2016

I did a double whammy of lavender essential oil in bowls of lavender flowers, peppermint oil and DH said 'I can't breathe in here!' So I threw out the lavender and wiped round with peppermint oil. Put a bowl of conkers in there too.
That was to deter spiders but it didn't.

I must send for conker oil.

I have a cherry tree outside, under the cherry tree I have some hollow crackle glass globes .

I happen to pick one up the other day and thought tut gson had filled it with soil last time he was here.

I started to poke it out and ohhhhhh myythere were 100s n 100s of ants, many with wings, eggs etc it was horrible as they all started running around, I threw the globe back down and left them, I've not looked to see if they have gone.

I always admire ants, so industrious, but I don't want them indoors.

Fingers crossed for you Callistemon.
Did you put a hole in the conkers ? that is what i was advised to do,no spiders up to now.
Oh, fyi,i don`t dilute the oils.

Yes, however thereby lies another tail!

Deliberate misspelling

We had an invasion of flying ants both indoors and out. I used peppermint oil which did help somewhat. However, can l recommend diatomaceous earth (food grade). Since l have used this l have had no visits from any ants in years. It is safe for both children and pets.