Ant Control In Calgary

Learn more about ants, what they do, what to do with them below! If you are looking for expert ant control in Calgary we are here to help!

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Why Do I Have Ants In Calgary?

Many of the 100 species of ants found in Calgary are foraging ants that travel long distances away from the nest in search of food. Ants are attracted to the food in your home. Ants will enter to forage for crumbs and spills or other edible items they may encounter. Even dirty dishes could be a cause of ants entering your property. Ants enter buildings using cracks in walls or the foundations or any other gaps and small openings where plumbing or electrical lines enter the home.

Many ant species are able to continue infesting once they have gained entry by following an invisible scent trail that scouts produce when searching for food. They follow the scouts scent and the other ants will follow. So you could completely remove the ants however if the trail is still there, the ants keep coming.

What Attracts Ants To Your Calgary Home?

Your home provides the three things ants need: food, moisture, and nesting sites. Ants are attracted to food remnants found within the home such as spills, crumbs, and leftover pet foods. Ants are also attracted to areas within the home where moisture collects such as in areas with rain damage, leaky pipes, or other condensation.

Finally, ants are attracted to areas within the home that are suitable for nesting such as moisture-damaged wood, exposed dirt from cracks and crevices, wall voids, and subflooring. So make sure these three topics are not an issue with your home. Regular home checks to make sure there are none of these issues is recommended. It is better to stop the problem before it can turn into something bigger.

Types Of Ants Around Calgary

Carpenter Ants – they belong to the genus Camponotus, are between 3 and 13 mm in length, have a rounded thorax and prominent mandibles, and are brown, black, or red and black in color. Carpenter ants nest both indoors and outdoors in moist, rotting wood. Unlike termites that eat wood, carpenter ants remove wood, depositing the debris in small piles outside their nests.

Field Ants – also known as thatching ants or wood ants are ants that prefer to nest outside. These ants are typically found in the ground around fields, parks, gardens, and lawns. The majority of these ants make a distinguishable mound of dirt where they excavate the ground to build their nests.

Odorous House Ants – also known as Tapinoma sessile. They are between 2 and 3 mm in length and are dark gray or brown in color. Their name is derived from the rotten odor they emit if crushed. Outdoors, odorous house ants live in shallow nests established on beaches and in swamps and bogs. Indoors, they are attracted to warmth and moisture and will colonize within walls, around hot water pipes and heaters, and under sinks and bathtubs. Odorous house ants are highly opportunistic and are active year-round in Canada.

Pharaoh Ants – The scientific name for pharaoh ants is Monomorium pharaonis. Workers are 2 mm in length and yellow to light brown in color, while queens are 4 mm in length and reddish in color. Queen pharaoh ants, which are twice the size of workers, have enlarged abdomens that are somewhat darker in color compared to the rest of the body. Before mating, queen pharaoh ants have wings which they shed after mating. Pharaoh ants are sometimes overlooked due to their small size and inconspicuous color, allowing them to infest structures. They establish nests in areas with moisture, such as kitchens and bathrooms, and use plumbing pipes and electrical lines within walls to forage in other rooms.

Moisture Ants – are wood-destroying organisms that usually indicate there is wet wood in or around the house. They do not eat dry wood and tend to only feast on moist and wet wood. In a building or home the moisture ants are not the main problem but more of a secondary problem to the decaying wood.

Pavement Ants – The scientific name for pavement ants is Tetramorium immigrans. They are between 2.5 and 3 mm in length, have visible grooves on their head and thorax, have one pair of spines on their thorax, and are pale brown to black in color. Their names is derived from their tendency to establish nests under sidewalks, driveways, and building foundations. A common sign of pavement ant activity is a mound of displaced soil near a paved area. Pavement ants may establish nests

Little Black Ants – gets its common name from its very small size and black coloration. Colonies are moderate to very large and contain many queens. They are small ants that feast on food in and around your Calgary home.

Best Ways To Control Ants in Calgary

Eliminating ants is difficult because ants are social animals with large colonies. The use of sprays and baits can help in killing some of the ants you see but is unlikely to control the entire colony. Several species of ants require professional pest control, such as black carpenter ants. It is always best to call a professional, some homemade sprays or baits could even attract more ants than before.

Major Pest Control is a trusted professional pest control company that can eliminate ants from your home with safe and effective extermination services available 24/7 from our trained pest control specialists.

Ant Control Calgary - D.I.Y. Ways To Remove Ants

While the most effective way to prevent or address an ant infestation is to call in pest control professionals, you can also try these do-it-yourself methods:

Place natural repellents like coffee grounds, peppermint oil, and lemon in areas where ants are likely to enter. This will keep ants at bay, but will likely not resolve the source of an ant problem.
Clean with a solution of equal parts water and distilled white vinegar, which ants dislike.
Poison ants with bait stations or topical solutions from a home supply store. Ideally, the worker ants will take the poison back to the queen and eradicate the colony. However, in many cases, the workers die before they ever get back to the nest, so the poison doesn’t make it to the source of the problem.

How Much Does Professional Ant Control Cost?

Pest Control is something people always dread because they think it costs an arm and a leg when in reality it isn’t bad at all! Our experts on site will give you a detailed inspection and quote. Usually for an ant removal it will cost around $300 – $1,000 depending on the severity and size of the nest.