Tiny tiny house ants

Traveller1981

Guys,

I've been noticing these tiny little ants in my downstairs WC for the past few months. I've just been killing them and washing them away down the sink. But they just keep coming back. It's literally just a downstairs toilet and sink in this room, and I notice them because it is tiled (so in theory they could be in other carpetted rooms). They are virtually see through and smaller than any ant I've seen before (I am assuming they are ants).
Can anybody tell me what they are. Google has lead me to believe they are ghost ants or sugar ants (not sure if these are the american terms for them) but most pages seem to be from the states (even selecting UK sites only) and mention behaviour like regular ants (walking in lines etc) which these don't do. They are literally just wandering around the floor, but do get up onto the walls and sink as well.
I would love to take a pic but they are so small it wouldnt come out. Anyone had/got these and know what I can do to get rid of them? Not seen them in any other room.
Even after cleaning the floors with antibacterial floor wipes, they still come back.

And this is a new build house.

Thanks

macman

You haven't said what you are killing them with now? Ant killer would seem the best treatment, any DIY shed or hardware store sells this.

Valli

Wilkinsons sell a clear liquid ant and crawling insect killer which I have used with great success in the past.

Doozergirl

I've seen these in my bathroom too occassionally. Only ever one at a time though. They're so teeny I haven't bothered killing them - maybe it's the same one!

Traveller1981

Sorry, I was killing them with my finger.
I wasnt sure about using those ant killers indoors in a bathroom. I'll have a read of the packaging of a few when I'm next in B&Q.
The other thing is, I don't know where they are coming from?

Does anyone know what they are?

Valli

well the one I mentioned from Wilkinson I used with a cat in the house. No clue what they are so I would be killing them. S'pose you could google under household pests...
anitbacterials won't work cos they're not bacteria

Traveller1981

Thanks.
I've actually already got some AntSTOP which says it can be used indoors, so will give that a go. Just got to work out where to spray it. Dunno what will happen on tiles, as guess it will just be wet but hopefully wont dry to look like there is something sprayed on them.

loobyloo2

Hi, These sound very much like Pharoah ants.
I hope they are not, as they are very difficult to get rid of.
If they are, then using a good pest control company is the best way to get rid of them.
You will need to have several visits, and you must NOT spray them, you will disperse the nest, and then you will have much bigger problems.
Sorry

Traveller1981

Potentially although the ants in my house are less than 1mm long. There is also no food or anything for them to feed on and they dont react in the way that was described on wikipedia. However, there is a hole where the sink was installed and a hole for the sink pipes in the wall, so potentially could be in there.
It says they feed on stuff like jellies, honey, shortening, peanut butter, corn syrup, fruit juices, baked goods, soft drinks, greases, dead insects and even shoe polish however there is nothing like that in this toilet.
I wonder if I can take this up with the building company as this is a brand new house???

loobyloo2

Hi,
These could also be Ghost ants, which are similar to the Pharoah ant. Do NOT spray. They go into what you call a Buddng stage, where they collect their Queens and diperse, making several colonies.
Hospitals here have a big poblem with them.
Pest control have to treat them in a very specific way. If they realise they are under attack, ie: being poisoned, they will 'Bud'. Therefore,
the poison is set in a specific manner, it really is not a problem that can be dealt with by the amatuer.
I would definately get in touch with building company, and see if they will pay for the treatment.
Sorry to say, sometimes Wickipedia does not give the correct info, I would agree that Borax will kill ants if mixed with something sweet, but these ants are not as easy as that to get rid of.
HTH

Traveller1981

Thanks for the info. I went on another killing spree last night. On average I get about 5 or 6 of these little blighters each time I go on a spree (every few days). So it isnt a massive problem...yet.
These ants do go up to the quoted 2mm for the pharoah ants, so guess it could be either.
What is strange is that the WC is slap bang in the middle of the house (ground floor) and I dont get them anywhere else. Also they are on the side of the ajoining semi, so no external walls to the WC. I hope there isnt some mega nest underneath my house! I have an issue with regular garden ants in my front garden which I have been treating with ant stop. I would put a bait box down, but the front of my house virtually joins the path and you have to cover these bait boxes, so not sure what to put on top to shelter it from rain? Any ideas?