WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ANTS IN YOUR HOUSE

You may be able to exterminate these pests without calling in a professional, though more severe infestations will require a stronger approach. Some ant species, like carpenter ants, can cause structural damage to your house if not treated immediately. Other infestations might be harder to eliminate due to a colony resisting natural and chemical extermination solutions.

GET RID OF ANTS IN YOUR HOME BY ELIMINATING THE COLONY

Take note of where you’re seeing the ants. They may run along your baseboards, emerge from holes under cabinets, or pop out of cracks in your walls or floors, particularly if your house is older. There may be other exterior entry points to your home, including visible ant colonies in your front or back yard or cracks in your driveway.

The key to getting rid of ants in your home is to take out the colony, and finding the colony is easier when you can identify the type of ant invading your space. Here are some common ants, their differentiating characteristics, and where you might locate their colonies:

• Sugar ants—These ants typically feed on sweet or greasy foods and can be found around your kitchen or places where you store food. They distribute food and water to the rest of their colony. They have brownish-black bodies with black heads and their nests are typically found in old wood or dark, moist areas.
• Carpenter ants—Carpenter ants are either black or red and typically 3/16 inch to ½ inch long and prefer to build colonies in moist wood, such as tree stumps, around bathtubs, showers,or dishwashers, or behind bathroom tiles. They are most easily identified by their thorax, which is rounded and smooth. Carpenter ants will tunnel in wood, creating smooth channels and leaving behind wood shavings, so if you notice wood shavings concentrated in a specific location, the colony may be close by. If you do investigate and find tunnels that are dirty and filled with material, the culprit may be termites.
• Pavement ants—These ants are also black or reddish brown with pale legs and antennae and are typically ⅛ inch long. Pavement ants prefer to nest in soil covered by solid material like rocks or pavement and are often found under driveways, sidewalk slabs, or concrete foundations of houses. Pavement ants are most likely to enter your home through cracks in the wall.
• Moisture ants (yellow ants)—These ants are longer and yellow or reddish brown in color. When they are crushed, they give off a citronella scent. Moisture ants tend to build their colonies against the foundation of homes or outdoors under rocks and logs. As their name suggests, they are attracted to high-moisture areas and are often found in bathrooms.

When you locate the colony—the source of your ant infestation—the next step is to eliminate any pheromone trails made by the ants. Pheromone trails are basic scent trails that ants leave behind for other ants to join them in finding food and water. When you identify the source of the ants, you can eliminate the entire ant colony by getting rid of the existing trail. Here’s how.

You may be able to exterminate these pests without calling in a professional, though more severe infestations will require a stronger approach. Some ant species, like carpenter ants, can cause structural damage to your house if not treated immediately. Other infestations might be harder to eliminate due to a colony resisting natural and chemical extermination solutions.

GET RID OF ANTS IN YOUR HOME BY ELIMINATING THE COLONY

Take note of where you’re seeing the ants. They may run along your baseboards, emerge from holes under cabinets, or pop out of cracks in your walls or floors, particularly if your house is older. There may be other exterior entry points to your home, including visible ant colonies in your front or back yard or cracks in your driveway.

The key to getting rid of ants in your home is to take out the colony, and finding the colony is easier when you can identify the type of ant invading your space. Here are some common ants, their differentiating characteristics, and where you might locate their colonies:

• Sugar ants—These ants typically feed on sweet or greasy foods and can be found around your kitchen or places where you store food. They distribute food and water to the rest of their colony. They have brownish-black bodies with black heads and their nests are typically found in old wood or dark, moist areas.
• Carpenter ants—Carpenter ants are either black or red and typically 3/16 inch to ½ inch long and prefer to build colonies in moist wood, such as tree stumps, around bathtubs, showers,or dishwashers, or behind bathroom tiles. They are most easily identified by their thorax, which is rounded and smooth. Carpenter ants will tunnel in wood, creating smooth channels and leaving behind wood shavings, so if you notice wood shavings concentrated in a specific location, the colony may be close by. If you do investigate and find tunnels that are dirty and filled with material, the culprit may be termites.
• Pavement ants—These ants are also black or reddish brown with pale legs and antennae and are typically ⅛ inch long. Pavement ants prefer to nest in soil covered by solid material like rocks or pavement and are often found under driveways, sidewalk slabs, or concrete foundations of houses. Pavement ants are most likely to enter your home through cracks in the wall.
• Moisture ants (yellow ants)—These ants are longer and yellow or reddish brown in color. When they are crushed, they give off a citronella scent. Moisture ants tend to build their colonies against the foundation of homes or outdoors under rocks and logs. As their name suggests, they are attracted to high-moisture areas and are often found in bathrooms.

When you locate the colony—the source of your ant infestation—the next step is to eliminate any pheromone trails made by the ants. Pheromone trails are basic scent trails that ants leave behind for other ants to join them in finding food and water. When you identify the source of the ants, you can eliminate the entire ant colony by getting rid of the existing trail. Here’s how.

HOW TO KEEP ANTS OUT OF YOUR HOME

Once ants are in your house, they can become a pesky and recurring nuisance. Follow these tips to prevent ants from infesting your home in the future:

• Keep your house clean—By putting food away, cleaning off countertops and floors, and emptying the trash daily, you reduce the risk of ants in your home. Try to regularly vacuum, mop, and wipe down counters, especially in areas of your house where you prepare or store food.
• Be vigilant during the hotter months—Ants are more prevalent in warm and humid conditions than they are in colder temperatures. They tend to appear more often during the summer months than they do in the winter months. Especially during warmer periods, keep your house clean.
• Find possible entry points and seal them off—Spray natural pesticides along the perimeter of your home to prevent ants from coming inside.
• Fix leaks in your house—Ants are attracted to food and water sources. By fixing leaky pipes and cleaning up damp areas around your house, you will lessen the chance of allowing ants to find a source of water for the whole colony.
• Kill ants in the yard—If you see nests outdoors, spot-treat the area with an insecticide. Spray in the morning and late afternoon when ants are most active. Insecticides that contain bifenthrin work especially well in dismantling ant mounds and getting rid of most ants.
• Call in a professional exterminator—Some colonies are extremely hard to eliminate despite your best effort. In this case, call in a professional to get the job done. Exterminators have tougher chemicals to get rid of the ants and can save you the time from checking every crack and crevice for ants.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PEST CONTROL COMPANY in GTA

There’s no worse way to start the spring and summer months than getting bugged by pesky pests. If you know you have a pest problem, it can be a knee-jerk response to call up the same pest control expert that your family has been using for years.

But is it really the right idea to use the same pest control service over and over simply because you’ve always used them? To make sure that you’re getting the best service possible, you should choose a pest control company that perfectly fits your needs.

Knowledge is the first thing to arm yourself with in your battle against pests! Here’s our ultimate guide on how to choose your Seattle pest control company.

LICENSING AND QUALIFICATIONS

When you choose a pest control company, there can be a lot of options to choose from. However, some of these options do not have the correct licensing and registration to effectively handle your pest problems.

Having a pest control company that is licensed in your local municipality ensures that your service will be in accordance with pest control best practices, and that the team will be comprised of true pest control experts.

You can check here to see if your GTA pest control company is fully licensed. When you work with Pesterminate, you know that you’re working with one of the most well-recognized and licensed pest control companies in the GTA area.

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Pest control needs vary situation by situation, and it’s imperative that you work with a pest control expert who knows how to listen to your needs.

When your home is invaded by pests, such as the dreaded rats, mice, bedbugs,  it’s easy for emotions to run a little high. Ideally, you’ll want to work with a GTA licensed pest control company that takes the time to explain its full process to you and make sure that the treatment plan fits your needs and budget.

Providing this type of customer service is something that Pesterminate is extraordinarily passionate about. We’ve been recognized by many different organizations for our superior service, and we take the pride serving in Toronto and having earned HomeStars : Best of 2019 award. Say what customers have to say about us in HomeStars.

SAFETY

Exterminations and poison seem to go hand in hand. When you work with a pest control expert, it’s likely that they’ll be using pesticides of some sort to eliminate your pest woes. But are they handling the materials safely and cautiously?

Make sure that your GTA pest control company exercises the following tenets of safe pest control:

• Do they use environmentally-friendly pesticides when possible?
• Do they wear protective equipment when appropriate?
• Are they insured in order to cover themselves, you, and your property?
• Are they cautious and careful as they traverse your property?

Pesterminate is dedicated to providing safe and effective pest control for its customers, and always take measures to ensure that the job is completed to maximum satisfaction while exercises the utmost caution.

VALUE

Value may be the most important part of the equation when working with GTA pest control companies.

Many professional pest control services will overcharge for what they provide, simply because they know you’re in a difficult bargaining position. Rodent services in GTA are one example of this, as people are often in a big hurry to eliminate their rat troubles. This can lead to hasty decisions and overpaying for what you receive.

When you work with Pesterminate, you have flexibility in your treatment options. We offer a pest control maintenance plan that covers all of your pest needs and prevents issues in the future. Whatever sort of GTA pest control services you’re in need of, we can find a solution that fits your unique situation.

JOURNEY OF A RODENT: WHY SOME AREAS HAVE MORE RATS

As the warmer days slip away, winter starts to crawl into everyday life, inviting with it the rodent population. They scurry into your home and/or business to seek out the heavenly smells of food, whilst also seeking a warm, dry environment to inhabit.

Carrying diseases and bacteria, these four-legged creatures can contaminate surface areas around your property, bringing with them potential risks to your health.

Without proper prevention or control, rodents can cause substantial damage to your property. Chewing on your furniture along with your wires and cables, creating a potential fire hazard and electrical risks

Here is a little more about Rodents

Rodents have several characteristics that put them at the top of the list of unwanted guests.

Curious

Rodents are avid explorers. They have a natural love for new terrains, cords, pipes and false floors. These spaces are considered a mice highway, providing a direct line to your electrical wires, computer networks, and other warm, dry spaces to set up their nests.

Scavengers

Mice and rats will scurry along searching high and low for food. Within a 24 hour period rodents can find up to 40 feeding places!

Focused

Rodents are focused on reproducing. A female mouse can produce a litter of up to 16 mice monthly. This means if you have a family of mice living in your walls, they are constantly reproducing and expanding their infestation.

Flexible

Rodents have a very flexible skeleton structure. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of your pinky finger, while a rat is able to squeeze through a hole the size of your thumb. They are also agile and can jump up to 24 cm in height!

Tireless

With mice travelling up to 1 km a day in search of food and a suitable nesting area. With tiny little legs, this is a vast distance. During a rodent’s journey, they leave a trail of droppings, with an average of 80 droppings produced in a day. This is a key indicator that you have a rodent infestation.

Adaptable

These gnawing little vermin are adaptable to most environments and can easily move in the dark. They also only need up to 3g of food a day, not a lot for a creature always on the move.

Signs of Rodents:

These unwanted guests living and breeding in your property are easy to spot if you know the common signs:

• Droppings: A trail of droppings is a clear sign. Check your home and/or office cupboards and kitchen areas – these provide a great source of food for rodents.
• Rub Marks: These are dirty marks left behind when the rodents rub against a hard surface.
• Tracks: A quick trick to spot track marks is to place some powder on the floor in the kitchen overnight, close to the edges of bench/cupboards. If you find little footprints in the morning then you know you have unwanted guests.
• Smell: Rodents leave a trail of urine which leaves a very distinct and unwanted smell.
• Teeth Marks: They love to gnaw on hard things and will gnaw to gain access to food.