CARPENTER ANT EXTERMINATION
EXTERMINATION OF THE CARPENTER ANT
Problems with small invaders? Damage to your furniture and wood infrastructure on your property?
It’s quite possible that carpenter ants are the culprit!
If this harmful insect is bothering you, we are your solution! At AKL Exterminateur we guarantee a complete elimination of this wood pest.
GET RID OF CARPENTER ANTS WITH AKL EXTERMINATEUR
Carpenter ants are part of the formicidae family of the Among the most common ant species in Quebec, carpenter ants are the most destructive. These insects known for their incredible ability to chew through tons of wood and dig tunnels can become your property nightmare.
Despite their harmless appearance, these ants can slowly collapse wooden structures from the inside out with their powerful bites. They generally invade residences in rural areas, but can also wreak serious havoc in urban areas.
Silently, this pest will chew on the inside of the wood in your home. Years may even go by without you noticing their presence! These pernicious insects, if not controlled quickly, can cause you serious material and economic damage.
So, if you are already dealing with this annoying pest and want to eradicate it, then you are in the right place! Hire the most effective services in household pest control with AKL Exterminateur! We are the most qualified pest exterminators in all of Quebec.
Our company is committed to exterminating any carpenter ant infestation in your residential or commercial property! And so you can recognize your enemy, let’s learn a little about this wood destroying insect.
At AKL Exterminateur, our priority is to control any insects and rodents to restore well-being and tranquility to you and your loved ones!
WHAT ARE CARPENTER ANTS GOOD FOR?
The only benefit of having carpenter ants is that they eat both live and dead insects so they get rid of other pests. Unfortunately, they also do a lot of damage.
CARPENTER ANT DATA SHEET, WHAT DOES THIS INVADER LOOK LIKE?
Carpenter ants, common name of the species Camponotus, are a variety of ants belonging to the family Formicidae. Their bodies are segmented and oval. They have powerful mandibles, functional wings, six legs and antennae. They measure between 0.3 mm to 2.0 cm.
Their colors can vary from black, brown, dark yellow and even combinations of these. Their impressive size distinguishes them from their relatives. But what most characterizes them is that they are able to excavate wood to create tunnels and nests.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS EAT?
These ants are predators and scavengers par excellence. Despite the popular belief that this species eats wood, the truth is that they feed on other insects and plant nectars. In addition, they are commonly attracted to sugary substances such as honey, syrup or juices.
In this sense, the only advantage of the existence of carpenter ants on your property is that they can rid you of other pests, as they consume other insects (dead or alive). And unlike termites, instead of consuming wood, these ants dispose of it outside their nests as debris.
LIFE AND REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF CARPENTER ANTS
To better understand their life cycle, let’s look at the hierarchy of carpenter ants. According to their functions, they are classified into: queens (they create the colonies and protect the eggs); workers (they dig and search for food); warriors/winged ants (they defend the nests and are in charge of mating).
The life span of carpenter ants is a bit longer than other species. While workers can survive up to 7 years, the queen can live up to 20 years! Their reproductive capacity is astounding and alarming. The queen can lay as many as 9 to 16 eggs per year. Terrifying!
After a few years, the colonies they form can reach 50,000 specimens. An alarming infestation! The queen usually lays her eggs in moist environments. She will take good care of them while the worker ants are at work digging. They will complete their life cycle in 6 to 12 weeks.
They will hatch as larvae, then as pupae and finally reach adulthood in 3 to 10 months (depending on the season and temperature). When adult ants copulate, they perform a kind of “nuptial flight”. They leave their nests to look for females and reproduce.
Winged reproductive ants take flight to extend their colonies or create new nests. In the process, the males die. Once mating is complete, the queen will take care of the eggs until they hatch. And so the cycle repeats itself and the infestation grows.
FORMATION OF MOTHER COLONIES AND SATELLITES
An important point in combating this pest is to understand how their colonies expand. Carpenter ants build two types of colonies: mothers (primary) and satellites. Primary nests are those that house the queen, her brood, newly hatched larvae and workers.
Satellite nests are built once the mother colony is established. These house pupae, winged ants, food and other workers that continue to chew wood. Generally, this species nests in damp places to encourage egg hatching.
However, satellite nests can be built even in dry areas by adult ants. And by digging tunnels and galleries, these insects can easily form new colonies with another queen. Although most satellite nests are associated with a single queen/mother colony.
WHAT DAMAGE DO CARPENTER ANTS CAUSE?
The damage caused by carpenter ants varies, depending on the severity of the infestation. But in general, these insects destroy furniture, beams and the internal infrastructure of your property that is made of wood.
These ants are capable of weakening supports, warping frames, jamming doors, dislodging windows, bulging walls, hollowing furniture and other structural grievances. As they chew on the interior wood, each time they dig tunnels they further hollow out structures and your wood assets.
Do these ants transmit diseases? The answer is no. Do they bite humans? In this case, yes. However, it is rare for them to attack a person, unless provoked. Their bites do not pose a danger to your health, but they are very painful.
Sometimes they secrete formic acid, which can cause burning and slight swelling that will disappear with time. These are just a few of the harms caused by this pest. And if the infestation is not treated in time, the colonies will grow silently over the years.
And the damage will be worse if the carpenter ants have formed a system of multiple satellite colonies!
WHERE ARE CARPENTER ANTS FOUND?
Carpenter ants live inside wood. They prefer moist or decaying wood, although they also attack healthy wood. Their natural habitat is in forest environments, passageways, subway tunnels and long gallery systems within trees and fallen logs.
However, when they invade a home or building, this pest usually lodges in wall cavities, attics, basements and dirty, moldy or damp wooden structures. Once installed, they will begin to create a tunnel system within your property.
WHY DO I HAVE A CARPENTER ANT INFESTATION?
If you are asking yourself this question, there may be damp or moldy wood inside your home. Carpenter ants are strongly attracted to moisture. Other times they are attracted to sweet tastes or exposed food, but in general, neglected wood is the main reason for an invasion.
When they identify a vulnerable property, they will infiltrate thanks to their size. And they usually start chewing on wood, opening cracks and holes to nest in. Others climb up branches, wires or pipes, finding shelter in rotting or damp wood.
Sometimes even the felling of a tree near your house or the repair of a balcony can be the cause of a potential invasion of these insects.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A CARPENTER ANT INFESTATION?
- Detecting an infestation of these ants can be difficult. It can take years before you notice your invaders until wood damage appears. Because they are silent insects, like termites, you can only identify their presence by outward signs.
- This means that by the time you become aware of the infestation, carpenter ant colonies have already established themselves inside your home (a long time ago). So, let’s review some characteristic signs of their harmful presence:
- Presence of worker ants on the floor or in damp places, such as toilets or sinks. You can also find them in your kitchen or pantry.
- Appearance of cracks or small holes in the wood of your furniture or other types of wooden structures, such as beams.
- Sudden accumulation of debris or wood chips on windows, doors, furniture or walls.
- Dead ants or eggs found near infested sites as nests.
- Excess moisture in the wood or furniture of your property. Creaking noises inside wooden structures, indicating ant digging activity.
HOW TO GET RID OF AN INFESTATION OF CARPENTER ANTS?
If you have found one or more of the signs of infestation mentioned above, then it is time to act! It certainly won’t be an easy task, especially if there are several colonies established within your property and different queens laying eggs all the time.
So, in order for you to eradicate these wood-chewing intruders yourself, you can follow the next extermination tips:
IDENTIFY AND DESTROY NESTS IN WOOD
To control the pest, you must first find the colonies in infested wood structures. Once the nests are identified, you can drill larger holes in the wood to place insecticides or over-the-counter chemical poisons.
You should repeat this process for several days to ensure that all worker ants and the queen are eliminated. You can also use ant baits. This way, the ants will carry the poison to their colonies and slowly die from the shared contamination.
If you want to get the best authorized products against the annoying carpenter ants, you can find them in our online store! AKL Exterminateur offers you a select catalog with the most effective pesticides, don’t hesitate to take a look by clicking on the link!
ELIMINATE MOISTURE AND ODOR TRAILS
To confuse the ants and prevent them from finding a conducive environment, you need to eliminate all sources of moisture. Another recommendation is to apply dishwashing solutions or oils to the infested wood and soil to confuse the pheromone trail left by these insects.
HIRE QUALIFIED EXTERMINATORS
The most effective way to eradicate carpenter ants from your property is to seek the help of pest control experts. So don’t hesitate to contact us! As AKL Exterminateur, we will design the most appropriate extermination plan for you.
Our technicians will carefully evaluate the infested wood areas, use the authorized chemicals, and set in motion the total elimination of the colonies and queen ants in your property. We are your best alternative in pest control throughout Quebec!
HOW TO PREVENT THE APPEARANCE OF CARPENTER ANTS?
To avoid material damage that can cost you a fortune in the wood of your furniture or in the infrastructure of your home, as AKL Exterminateur we offer you some preventive measures. In this way, you will avoid the risks of a potential infestation of these ants.
Let’s check them out!
- Fill any holes or cracks in walls or furniture to eliminate the entry or exit of carpenter ants.
- Prune grass and tree branches near power lines to keep ants from reaching the wires.
- Store firewood or piles of wet wood away from your home. Discard any rotten or old wood pieces, furniture or ornaments.
- Cut down logs that appear to be affected by fungus. These decaying environments are ideal nests for carpenter ants.
- Seal all water leaks and repair all moisture-producing openings.
DID YOU KNOW THAT…?
In certain parts of the world, such as Africa and Australia, people eat the larvae of carpenter ants! Studies have shown that these ants are rich sources of sugar and protein.
