How Do You Know If You Have an Ant Infestation in Cambridge?
A few ants on a worktop is not an infestation. A trail is. Here is how to tell the difference, and what each sign is actually telling you.
Read the guide →Identification
Ant Identification Cambridge: What Type of Ants Are in My Home?
Almost always the black garden ant. But there is one species where getting it wrong and reaching for a spray turns a single problem into several.
In practice the answer is nearly always the same, and the exception is the one worth reading about.
Black Garden Ant — Almost Certainly This
Lasius niger. Dark brown to black, roughly 3 to 5 millimetres, nesting outdoors in soil, under paving, along paths and against walls.
- Seasonal. Active from spring through to autumn, dormant in winter
- Nests outdoors and forages indoors
- One queen per colony
- Follows defined trails, which is why you see a line rather than scattered ants
- Takes sugars and also protein, particularly earlier in the season when there is brood to rear
This is what our standard ant control service is aimed at, and it responds well to a treatment carried back to the nest.
Pharaoh Ant — Rare, and the One That Matters
Monomorium pharaonis. Much smaller and pale — yellow to light brown — and fundamentally different in how it lives.
BPCA describes it as a tropical species found in the UK only in heated buildings, with a minimum breeding temperature of 18°C and an optimum around 30°C. It does not live in gardens in this country.
| Black garden ant | Pharaoh ant | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 3–5mm | Much smaller |
| Colour | Dark brown to black | Pale yellow to light brown |
| Where it nests | Outdoors — soil, under paving | Inside heated buildings only |
| Season | Spring to autumn; dormant in winter | Active all year round |
| Queens per colony | One | Several, all laying |
| Typical setting | Houses with gardens | Blocks of flats, commercial kitchens, care and hospital settings, anywhere consistently warm |
| Response to spraying | Foragers die; colony replaces them | Colony buds off into new satellite colonies |
This is why the distinction matters. BPCA states that when threatened, pharaoh ants “bud off to form new satellite colonies in new areas of the structure”. Spray them and you do not reduce the problem — you distribute it into parts of the building you have not found yet. The correct approach is baiting, worked from outside the infested area inwards, with follow-up surveys to confirm it is clear. It is a longer job than a garden ant treatment and we would tell you so before booking.
Flying Ants
Not a species. On warm, humid, still days in summer the winged males and new queens of ordinary garden ant colonies leave together to mate — the nuptial flight. Synchronising it gives the queens the best chance of mating with a male from a different colony.
The males die shortly afterwards; the mated queens shed their wings and attempt to found new colonies, and most fail. “Flying ant day” is not a single date — the flights need the right weather, so they happen in windows across several weeks.
When it matters: if they are emerging from inside the building rather than from the garden, a mature colony is in the structure. Note exactly where they came out — it is the single most useful thing you can tell us.
What They Are Not
- Termites. There are no established termite populations in the UK. Garden ants do not eat wood and will not damage your structure
- Woodworm. Different insect entirely — if you have small round holes in timber with fine dust, that is not ants
- Flying ants are not flying termites, and in the UK the question does not arise
Two Questions That Settle It
Dark or pale? And are they active in the middle of winter?
Dark and seasonal is the garden ant, and our standard £240 treatment applies. Small, pale and active in January is not, and we would want to look before anything is treated.
Dark and seasonal is the garden ant, and our standard £240 treatment applies. Small, pale and active in January is not, and we would want to look before anything is treated.
A photograph helps, ideally with something for scale — a coin or a fingertip. Or keep one in a clear bag. It costs nothing and it is a great deal better than treating the wrong thing.
If you would rather have it settled formally, a pest inspection and survey is £120 fixed cost and includes identification in writing.
Ant Control Cambridge — £240
fixed price
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Ant Identification — Common Questions
What ant is most common in Cambridge homes?
The black garden ant, Lasius niger. Dark, roughly 3 to 5mm, nesting outdoors in soil and under paving, active from spring to autumn and quiet through winter.
What are the tiny pale ants in my kitchen?
If they are very small, pale yellow to light brown, and active indoors all year round, they may be pharaoh ants. Do not spray them — tell us, because spraying causes the colony to split and spread through the building.
Are red ants different from black ants?
The ant most people call a red ant in a UK garden is usually a species that can sting slightly, found in lawns and under stones. It is not the ant normally coming into kitchens, which is the darker garden ant.
What are flying ants?
The winged males and new queens of the same garden ant, leaving to mate. Not a separate species, and not a sign of a worse problem — though if they emerge from inside the building it means a mature colony is in the structure.
Do I need to know the species before I call?
No. But two details help enormously: dark or pale, and whether they are active in winter.
Can you identify them from a photograph?
Often, yes, particularly with something for scale. If not, a pest inspection and survey is £120 fixed cost.
Get a Quote for Ant Control
Tell us what you have found and where. We confirm the treatment and the price before anything is booked.
More Ant Control Advice
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Cambridge Home
The honest version: you cannot solve this by killing the ants you can see, and most of what is sold for the job makes it harder rather than easier.
Read the guide →Why Do Ants Keep Coming Back?
Ants returning is not usually bad luck. It is one of five things, and four of them are fixable in an afternoon.
Read the guide →How Much Does Ant Control Cost in Cambridge?
£240 Fixed Price
What the price covers, what changes it, and what happens on the day.
Read the price guide →Ant Control Across Cambridgeshire
We cover Cambridge and the surrounding towns. The main Ant Control Cambridge page covers the service in full.
Need Ant Control in Cambridge?
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will give you the treatment and the price before we book anything.