Pest expert shares 5p trick to keep ants away as they start to invade and the sign to look for in your garden

YOU might be looking forward to the days getting warmer at last, but there’s one annoying problem that can instantly ruin the sunshine.

Ant infestations can be particularly hard to deal with, especailly if they’ve already found their way inside your home.

Getty

Ants can take over your garden and home if they’re not dealt with quickly[/caption]

Getty

An infestation can cause havoc for you patio and pavement[/caption]

But don’t worry, it turns out there’s a cheap and cheerful method to keep the pests at bay – and it won’t break the bank.

Ideally, you should deal with ants when they’re still in your garden and not your home, Steven Walley, patio and paving expert from London Stone, told Express.co.uk.

But that doesn’t mean you’re off scott-free if the pests are only in your garden.

According to the pro ants aren’t just unsightly, but they can also dig under your patio and pavement, which “can cause problems.”

“By tunnelling through the sand under and between your paving, they can damage the integrity of the joints, causing paver sinkage. 

“This cannot only make the floor unlevelled but it can also cause bigger gaps to appear between paving slabs, leading to weeds and moss to grow,” he explained.

So, how to you banish them from your garden before they become a potentially expensive issue?

Well, you need to look for the right signs that they’re there in the first place.

These signs could be small piles of sand or dirt around your patio slabs or pavement.

Where these dirt piles are usually mean there’s a nest nearby, so starting off with any treatments in these spots is the best course of action.

One cheap and cheerful method is to use white vinegar, a natural remedy that can cause ants to move away, since they hate the strong smell.

Simply mix one part vinegar and three parts of water together and pour or spray it on any areas you suspect ants could be living.

“If your garden patio is near the entryway of your home, don’t forget to spray the solution on entry points such as window sills and backdoors, to deter them from coming inside,” the pro said.

Repeat this process once a week and the ants should naturally move on from your garden and home.

Once the ant problem is dealt with it’s also important to keep them from coming back.

One way to do this, according to Steven, is the keep standing water, household bins and compost bins as far from your home as possible, since they’re attracted to all three.