Overview

• Long-range forecasts point to a 'Spanish scorcher' of over 30°C, a pattern that often accelerates ant foraging and nest expansion.
• Specialists advise spraying or sprinkling strong scents such as vinegar, lemon juice, tea tree oil, cinnamon and chilli powder at entry points to confuse ant pheromone trails.
• Cultivating mint and lavender plants near doors, sheds or summerhouses can create living barriers that ants instinctively avoid.
• Sprinkling coffee grounds, recycled citrus peels or diatomaceous earth around vulnerable spots provides tactile and aromatic obstacles that ants shun.
• Keeping surfaces free of food and drink residues and fitting sticky barrier traps to fruit trees reinforces chemical-free defenses against invading colonies.