Ants Control Services

What Are Ants?

Ants belong to the order of Hymenoptera, an order in which females lay their eggs inside of a host or in places that are otherwise inaccessible. For ants, these eggs are usually found underground, inside a tree, or within another structure of wood. Each ant colony is separated into three categories: workers, male reproductives, and female reproductives, also known as queens. Ants are most commonly found scavenging for sources of food and water across yards and inside homes. In cases of carpenter ants, they can be found destroying the structural wood of a property to build a nest.

Are Ants Dangerous?

Ants are not dangerous creatures the only species of ant that poses any major concern in the GTA is the carpenter ant, which makes its home by excavating into water-damaged wood. Beyond this, ants are mostly considered nuisance pests that disturb indoor and outdoor peace.

Why Do I Have An Ant Problem?

Ants are foraging creatures by nature, known to build their colonies close to an accessible source of food and water. If your home or yard is providing ants with easy access to the scraps they need to survive and thrive, chances are they are more likely to expand and continue to invade, rather than leave you and your home alone. In most cases, problems start when scouting ants invade your home through a crack or gap in its external foundation. Once that ant gets inside, if it finds the sustenance it is looking for, it will then bring information back to the colony about your property’s location. Once ants have a way in, a source of food, and water, your ant problems won’t go away.

Where Are Ants Commonly Found?

These colonies act as home bases for the ants scavenging the surrounding area. Some ant species such as carpenter ants will build their nests inside wood either out in nature or within the structure of your home itself. Others will establish their nests right within the wall voids of your home. Our pest control experts can help you determine which kind of ants have invaded your property.

How Do I Get Rid Of Ants?

We will not only evaluate your problem thoroughly—identifying species of ants, nesting sites, and attractants—but we will also set up a defensive barrier around your home, designed to keep ants from scavenging indoors.

How Can I Prevent Ants In The Future?

When trying to exclude ants from your property, knowing why they invade is important. In general, the fewer sources of food and water they can find, the better. If you are hosting an outdoor gathering, make sure to clean up scraps of food after you have finished eating. When feeding your pets, be sure to pick up their food bowls after feeding time. Finally, as much as possible, keep areas where you make and eat food clean of crumbs or scraps that ants would consider a feast.

More things that you need to know

How to get rid of Ants

Prevention is Key

The best way to solve a pest issue is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Even if you currently do not have an ant problem, it is still essential to ensure you do not have any entry points that they can find their way into. Remember, ants can fit in even the smallest of cracks or holes. The number one tip is to avoid leaving food in your sink or on the counter. This attracts ants, and it will lead to a much bigger problem.

Seal Any Points of Entry

If you found any cracks that ants can enter, now would be a good time to seal those. Using caulk, go over the gap to prevent any more pests from getting in. Be sure to check your windows for cracks as well. Windows are a common place to find cracked caulk.

Begin to Use Repellent

Rodents invade homes for four main reasons: food, water, shelter, and during the colder months, warmth. If you have rodents taking up residence in your home, that means that your home is providing them with the necessities they need to survive. Oftentimes, rodents do not invade homes to find these things, but instead will wander inside and find everything they need. They will seek out piles of boxes, newspapers, and other materials to create their nests. Wall voids are prime spaces for rodents to nest in, and they are also attracted to the food scraps found under appliances or in food storage areas. They can often be found near leaks or areas with water build-up in an effort to stay hydrated.

Locate Where They Are Coming From

Before attempting to get rid of ants, the first step is to find out how they are getting in your house. They may be using cracks in the wall as an entry point. Also, look for anything that could be attracting them. Ant attractants can include food remnants that were never properly cleaned. Once you find out what is drawing them and where they are coming in, it will be easier to get rid of them. However, if you cannot find either of these things, you can still move on to the next step.

When to Call for Professional Ant Control

If you have tried all of these steps and still cannot control your ant problem, it is time to give us a call.
Once you’ve discovered ants are invading your home, you want them gone as soon as possible. Unfortunately, no method of ant control can provide an exact timetable. Several factors determine how long it takes to eradicate an ant colony. However, hiring an extermination professional is the best way to get rid of pests quickly and efficiently.

Why is Ant Control Difficult?

For every single ant you see inside the house, there are hundreds more outside waiting to get in. Depending on the type of ant, the total number could be in the thousands. Ants are social insects that reside in groups. While you may think you don’t care about ants, understanding their social structure is key to getting rid of them.

Four main points make it almost impossible to exterminate ants with DIY methods.

Ants live in colonies made up of separate nests. You can eliminate one nest, but that doesn’t solve the whole problem.
The queen of the colony can live up to 15 years. If the queen isn’t exterminated, the colony will repopulate and may infest your home again.
Colonies are sometimes difficult to locate. Ants can tunnel up to three feet or more straight down into the ground. Once underground, they dig a series of chambers and tunnels that spread out for several feet in every direction.
Ants often build their colonies in inaccessible places, like under the foundation of your home.

At-home ant treatments may eliminate the visible problem, but they’re not strong enough to exterminate an entire population. The ants that survive simply retreat to safety and start rebuilding the colony.

How Do Professionals Fully Exterminate an Ant Colony?

It is possible to eliminate the whole colony and all the nests, but it takes knowledge, experience, training, and the right equipment. After the initial treatment from a professional exterminator, you will see improvement in your pest problem. However, it can take several weeks or several months and several appointments to completely remedy the situation.
We don’t stop until the problem is solved. Our process includes the following steps:

Full inspection of the entire property and surroundings by a professional technician
Locate nests and entry points into the house
Identify the species of ant to determine which insect treatment is best
Confer with the property owner to discuss concerns about pets or children before using potentially toxic treatments
Apply the safest, most effective treatment
Return to inspect and reapply treatments as needed until the colony is exterminated

Our exterminators may also recommend a maintenance plan that includes prevention tips that will discourage re-population of the original or new ant colonies.

How Do Professionals Fully Exterminate an Ant Colony?

Don’t waste time with sprays and bait traps if you suspect an ant infestation on your property. It may be hard to imagine something so small causing a big problem, but ants can cause serious damage to the wooden structures inside your home, especially Carpenter ants. Call us!

HPP Packages

Silver

Covers crawling insects such centipedes, silverfish, firebrats and earwigs and pavement ants.

Gold

Provides year round coverage for the following pests. You will be covered for mice, rats, cockroaches, carpenter and pavement ants, indian meal and clothing moths, wasp, yellowjackets, carpenter bees, hornets, millipedes, centipedes, spiders,fruit flies, Blow and Bottle Flies, carpet beetles, silverfish, firebrats, sowbugs, and earwigs.

Premium

Spring and summer season we will keep you pest free while you get to enjoy your backyard with your friends and family. You will be covered for mice, rats, cockroaches, carpenter and pavement ants, Indian meal and clothing moths, wasp, yellowjackets, carpenter bees, hornets, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, fruit flies, Blow and Bottle Flies, carpet beetles,silverfish, firebrats, sowbugs, and earwigs.