The ant invasion

4:00pm Monday 28th November 2005

RESIDENTS whose homes have been invaded by pharaoh ants are being urged to leave them alone.

Killing the yellow or red ants makes the colony's queens go into reproductive overdrive, leaving homeowners with a far bigger problem than they had to start with.

One mother of two in Tuscany House, Sherwood Close, Walthamstow, is tearing her hair out after her property was overrun by the insects.

Carol Miller, 39, said: "I'm sitting here itching, they are everywhere. Even when you go to the toilet you see them walk along the shelf. My eight-year-old son cannot sleep.

"I'm literally pulling my hair out."

Ms Miller says she cleans and cleans but it does not make her feel any better as she has been told she must not kill the ants.

"I feel like setting the place on fire. To live like this to me seems disgusting," she said.

Her landlord, Circle 33 Housing Association, sent pest controllers SOS to treat her home but it can take up to three months to get rid of the pests completely A Circle 33 Housing Trust spokesman said: "We take problems with pharaoh ants very seriously.

"Residents in Tuscany House who have pharaoh ants in their home or any concerns should contact us on 08457 697 695, so that we can take swift action to remedy this matter.

"However, we must stress that residents should not kill the ants themselves as this will escalate the problem."

The spokesman said that he wanted to reassure residents that they did not have to pay for the treatment.

The ants flourish in warm environments and do not grow longer than 2mm. While they do not carry diseases, they do get into food and spread germs.

There are 50,000 worker ants, 10,000 juvenile ants and up to 400 egg laying queens in a typical nest.