Carpenter ants can be tricky to identify and are easily confused with the common black ant. Some members of the carpenter ant colony such as the winged males and females are confused with termites. Whatever the case, carpenter ants can cause extensive damage to wood structures so it is imperative that you take action immediately (call Ant Control Toronto) to spot these ants inside or around the home.
Identifying Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are typically black in colour although this range from orange, yellow, brown or red or some combination of these colours. The ants vary in size depending on their role in the colony. The queen is the largest measuring up to 20 mm in length. Winged swarmer or males measure up to 18 mm while the average adult ranges between 6 and 12 mm.
Winged carpenter ants have two sets of wings where the front wings are longer than the rear ones. The ant has a perfectly round thorax and a single segment on the petiole. The petiole is the area that links the thorax to the abdomen.
Another distinct carpenter ant feature is its heart-shaped head. This has large, strong jaws and elbowed antenna.
How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
DIY extermination may be tempting and there are many suggested methods and products for such a task. It is advisable to hire a professional exterminator in Ontario for the following reasons;
For one, it is very easy to confuse carpenter ants with other ant species such as termites and the common black ant. A successful extermination hinges on positive identification and using the appropriate product.
Even if you are able to positively identify the ant, there is a good chance that you are treating only one of many colonies. Carpenter ants reproduce at a high rate and form satellite colonies once the parent colony is overcrowded. It is essential that you locate all the colonies inside and around your property before you being extermination.
Finally, a botched attempt at extermination will simply aggravate the problem. Again, carpenter ants form satellite colonies due to overcrowding and in case of a threat to the nest. If your extermination attempt is unsuccessful, the ants will split and form multiple colonies which thrive in no time.
Getting rid of carpenter ant is notoriously difficult even for professional exterminators in Ontario. Successful extermination often requires multiple treatments, sometimes spanning the course of a year. Only a professional can guarantee successful and permanent extermination. The expert will also help you ensure that the pests don’t come back by resolving what attracted them to your home in the first place.