Ant Control Oakville

Carpenter ants are known as “nest builders”, they chew through wood to create their nests. Because of this, carpenter ants have the capacity to severely damage wood structures. But how do we identify a carpenter ant?

The most typical feature of a carpenter ant is that they are larger than most ants, ranging in size from 3/8 to 1/3 inch. Their life cycle follows that of a complete process of metamorphosis: from eggs to larvae to pupae to adults. Once an adult, carpenter ants will have six legs, a constricted waist, and three distinct body region. Their colour, which may appear red, brown, or black, can vary among species. However, in the United States alone, there are already 24 species of carpenter ants. It is for this reason that identification can be difficult.

To help identify a carpenter ant effectively from other ants is to look at its waist and the thorax. Compared with other ants, carpenter ants have a waist with one node (petiole) and thorax with an evenly rounded upper surface. Also, carpenter ants are commonly mistaken as termites. However, termites are white and usually have a straight antenna and a broad waist, which a carpenter ant does not possess.

When carpenter ants build their nests, they dig tunnel-like structures in any wood sources. These may include tree stumps, fence posts, logs, firewood, housing structures, or trees. The center of their nest is called the parent colony, which houses the queen, eggs, and young ants. Satellite nests branching out from the parent colony contains the workers, mature larvae, and pupae. As the satellite nests grow in numbers, the wood structure weakens. Thus, a house with multiple colonies can mean serious structural damage.

To determine if carpenter ants have already invaded your house, you should look at 4 signs: the presence of ants, frass, trails, and sounds. First, the presence of numerous ants might indicate that they have already been nesting in your house. Second, the accumulation of frass might mean that ants have just been recently chewing through your wood structures. Third, ant trails have been consistently appearing in some parts of the house. These trails are close to the nest. And lastly, carpenter ants produce rustling or tapping noises when disturbed. To detect the sounds, put your ear in any wooden surface, and if you hear any scratching inside, carpenter ants already live inside.

But anyone can control the growing population of carpenter ants in their own houses. They can do this in three ways: baiting, spraying and treating voids. Baiting is used on ant trails, spraying is using a permiter treatment, and treating voids mean using dusts and foams to fill-up ant colonies. However, these solutions are all temporary. Carpenter ants may regroup in other wooden part of the houses. There is also the risk that there other colonies in other parts of the houses. The best way to get rid of these ants? Call an expert.

Do-it-yourself solutions involving ridding the house of carpenter ants often do more damage. Ants are persistent by nature, and they tend to nest in the same house. The proper thing to do is to do a thorough inspection of the house with the help of professional company. They have the necessary tools and equipment that are mostly effective in detecting ants. Solutions in getting rid of carpenter ants also depend on the already nested population of ants. This is where the expertise of the professionals will come in, as they know better how to solve the problem at hand.