They enter your home through the smallest cracks to find resources. They leave an invisible chemical trail telling others to follow them to the food source. They nest anywhere and everywhere, lawns, walls, stumps, etc. A single colony can number from 300,000 to 500,000 and the colony can live a long lifetime. A queen ant has been known to live up to 15 years.
Most pest treatments only kill the ants you see. Our treatments attack the ants at the source, eliminating the ants chance of returning.
Carpenter Ants
The Campanotus modoc and the Campanotus vicinus are the two most important species of carpenter ants that are native to BC. Most species are predominantly black in colour. Carpenter ants create galleries in wood in which to lay eggs and raise their young but do not eat wood. Carpenter ants range from 3/8 of an inch to slightly more then an inch in length but may vary depending on the type of carpenter ant. When they nest in wood, they cause serious damage to the structural integrity of tree, house or any other place they call home.
Carpenter ants are social in nature, there is a queen, workers and reproductive ants in a well established colony. They tend to prefer high humidity and void areas. Examples are soffits, wall voids or crawl spaces. The carpenter ant prefers to nest in wood that has been softened by moisture damaged and it is unusual and rare for them to nest in dry, intact wood. This type of ant is most active about 15 minutes after sundown, leaving the nest in large numbers in search of food.
Carpenter ants construct their galleries, tearing bits of wood and placing them outside their nest. When left alone, these galleries can become quite huge after a certain period of time. Other places where carpenter ants build their nests are:
– Roofs
– Ceilings
– Stumps
– Wood Piles
– Sill Plates
– Roots of Dead Trees
– Hollow Core Doors
– Interior Wall Voids
– Under Exterior Siding
– Door Frames
There are more spots these ants can nest and cause damage but more importantly parent colonies may be located outside the structure with satellites located within.
Acrobat Ants
Acrobat ants live where water damage has occurred, in decaying or damp wood and inside insulation. Outdoors they live in logs, firewood or trees with rotten spots. They, like the other ants, enter homes and buildings via utility lines, pipe lines, windows and soffits. Acrobat ants are extremely aggressive when disturbed and release a potent odour as well.
Pharaoh Ants
Pharaoh ants will nest almost anywhere, but are most at home when in warm, damp areas. Pharaoh ants have a diversified preference of foods, ranging from fruit and sweets to meet and pet foods. They require high amounts of water daily. They are constantly searching for food and water, harvesting the water from unusual sources such as condensation on pipes and refrigerators.
