Follow the trail, don't wipe it
Every worker ant that travels the same route back and forth strengthens the scent trail for the ones that follow, which is why a trail seems to get busier the longer it's ignored, whether that's near Homerton, where terraced streets and ex-GLC estates near the hospital and Chatsworth Road, or elsewhere in the borough. Tracking where the trail leads reveals the colony's location, whereas cleaning it off only prompts a fresh trail to be laid, just as near Stoke Newington, where victorian terraces around Church Street and the reservoirs.
Find the entry point first
Pick a warm, calm point in the day when activity peaks, and simply watch the trail rather than disturbing it as it leads away from the food source - the same pattern holds near Homerton, where terraced streets and ex-GLC estates near the hospital and Chatsworth Road. A gap at a patio door threshold, pipework entering the kitchen, or the edge of a window frame are the usual routes - mark whichever it turns out to be.
Small gardens around Stoke Newington and Clapton
The terraced houses with small gardens around Stoke Newington and Clapton give ants a short trip from nest to kitchen, and a nest is often found tight against the rear wall of the house or under a short run of paving close to the door.
Courtyards near warehouse conversions
Around the warehouse conversions of Dalston and Hoxton, shared courtyards and paved communal areas can offer ants the same warm, dry conditions as a traditional garden, even where individual flats have no garden of their own.
What to leave alone for now
- Spraying the trail, which kills the foragers and leaves the colony intact
- Pouring boiling water into paving, which can damage mortar and rarely reaches the queen
- Filling the entry gap before the nest is dealt with, which sends the ants to a new gap
- Scattering powders along the trail, which can split a colony into several smaller ones
Closing the way in afterwards
Once the colony has been cleared, go back and seal just the gaps the ants were actually using, whether that's a threshold, a pipe hole or a crack in the mortar - the same pattern holds near Dalston, where dense Victorian housing and old warehouse and loft conversions around the junction and Kingsland. Keep weep holes and air bricks open, blocking them as well only creates a damp problem inside the wall, whether that's near Homerton, where terraced streets and ex-GLC estates near the hospital and Chatsworth Road, or elsewhere in the borough.
Booking ant control in Hackney
Ant control in Hackney runs £190 for a flat and £220 for a house, and because around Clapton, where victorian terraces rising up from the marshes, it helps to say roughly whereabouts in the garden the nest might be when you book ant control, with the rest on the Hackney ant control page.
