Common Questions regarding Bull Ants (Bull Dog Ants)
How do you get rid of bull ants?
1. Direct a pest control technician to where the main nest is outside of your home.
The nest is nearly always found in soil in your yard areas. Nests are sandy large mounds with entry holes at the top.
2. Instruct them to use a low toxic spray that is non-repellant for DIY pest control, with the active ingredient of Fipronil.
3. Instruct them to use non-repellant ant granule with the active ingredient of Fipronil on your driveway and pavers. Our technician demonstrates this step in the video below.
DIY (Do It Yourself) pest control 1. Try mixing borax (you can get it at Coles or Woolworths) or other residual insecticide with sugar to kill bull ants.
2. Mix the borax solution and place baits in plastic containers near their ant trails. The sugar attracts the bull ants and the low toxic insecticide will kill them.
3. Pour boiling water from a kettle down the bulldog ants main nest – Be careful to avoid nasty burns while attempting to eradicate the nest. This may only be a temporary solution as the nests go down deep into the soil and the ants may build up again if the queen survives.
WARNING!
DON’T pour petrol or gas down the nest & set it alight. This is a VERY dangerous and is NOT recommended to destroy a bull ant or bulldog infestation.
Don’t believe all the stories that you often see on the internet or try something stupid like this to get rid of bull ants!
Why am I getting them in my house?
Can bull ants hurt you?
Yes, most species will deliver painful sting and will even chase people away from the nest.
Bulldog ants can sting repeatedly by gripping enemies with their mandibles (or jaws), curl up their abdomen and sting their victims with painful venom. Often they deliver multiple stings.
Dangerous to humans
These ants are well known to be aggressive and have painful stings.
Ice packs or sting spray are useful to relieve pain. If there are allergic reactions, immediate medical attention by calling 000 should be sought.
How about anaphylaxis?
Some unfortunate people have severe allergic reactions to stings of an insect.
Rarely some victims can react severely to the bites or stings within minutes.
This may lead to a medical condition called anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis is always a very serious medical condition and can even be fatal.
Common Symptoms of anaphylaxis:
Noisy breathing
Difficulty being understood when talking
Swollen tongue & lips
Dizziness or fainting
Swelling of throat
Paleness and rapid heart rate
Wheezing or persistent coughing
Vomiting or abdominal pains
What if someone is going into anaphylactic shock?
Immediately call “000” for medical advice and an ambulance.
Some victims have a “personal action plan” for severe allergies. Ask these people if they need assistance.
You may help them to administer adrenaline with an autoinjector if available and you are confident you can help.
These autoinjectors are called “EpiPen” or “Anapen”.
What do bull ants eat?
They collect nectar as well as spider and insects, which are transported back to the nest.
Classification
Genus Myrmecia
Subfamily Myrmeciinae
Family Formicidae
Super Family Vespoidea
Suborder Apocrita
Order Hymenoptera
Class Insecta
Subphylum Uniramia
Phylum Arthopoda
Kingdom Animalia
Bulldog ants are between eight and forty millimetres long and are known to be very aggressive to intruders.
Distribution
Bull ants (bulldog ants) are found in all states and territories throughout Australia.
Identification
Bull ants or bulldog ants are one of the largest ant species in Australia and can grow up to 40 millimetres long.
They are well known as a pest in all states of Australia and have a very painful sting.
They are easy to identify as many of the species have bright orange or red markings on the head and thorax areas or abdomens.
There are at least 9 bull ant species that are classed as pests in Sydney NSW.
“Jumper ants” are a smaller species that jump toward intruders as a method of defence.
Habitats
They prefer to nest outdoors in yards or in bushland.
Bull ant nests often may have hidden entrances and project several metres below soil and rock areas.
It’s not that common to find bulldog ant (or bull ant) inside homes.
A1 Pest Control technicians are not just licensed but also have many years of experience in the pest control industry, ready to assess the situation to solve the problem with the best outcome.
"We first used A1 Pest Control a few years ago when we noticed a few termites under a wine barrell in the rear yard of our home. We asked A1 Pest Control Sydney to pay us a visit to have a thorough termite inspection of our home. Bruce and his crew were on time, and very well presented. They explained how they would get rid of the termite infestation using a low toxic method and how their Thermal cameras worked, It worked very well and now we can sleep at night!"
Gary and Carol Harman
"We have been using Bruce form A1 Pest Control for over 4 years now. We bought our new house on the Hills Area, and moved in. our neighbours had problem with rodents and spiders so they are using A1 next door. I asked them if they could come over and treat our house too, as i didn't want to chase pest around our home. The service was not only effective, but carried out without any smelly fumes that we have experienced in our last house. They solved problem next door and I haven't seen a bug since."
Melissa Topper
"A1 Pest Control exterminators where great! I'm very happy to say that they solved a bed bug problem that I had after we had visitors from overseas visit us. I would recommend A1 Pest Control to anyone needing a safe and effective treatment of bed bugs"
Amanda Wu
"Bruce solved our commercial pest control problem in Castle Hill. Cockroaches were throughout our factory and they were completely gone after two visits from his exterminators. Just seeing one cockroach can lose us clients. I know now everyhing is ok, and our reputation is intact"
Raj Beri, Europa International
"Bruce from A1 Help us get rid of a bad spider infestation that have been troubling us for a while. It was done with low toxic spray and his crew even game me some cockroach and ant baits to get rid of them. I have recommended A1 to all my friends and family"
Carmel Thomas
Get in Touch
Get A Quote
Please complete the form below and we'll respond ASAP
