Dealing With a Pharaoh Ant Infestation
Ants for the most part are an irritant in homes, unwelcome insects foraging for food to bring back to a colony. Interestingly, one of the most resilient, undesirable and invasive species is also one of the smallest. Pharaoh Ants are tiny even by ant standards, measuring only two millimeters on average. However despite their small stature they can pose serious problems for people all year round. Accustomed to warmer climates, pharaoh ants found in Canada usually live in heated structures. As such apartment buildings, condominiums, high rises, and nursing homes have become optimal breeding grounds for pharaoh ant colonies. Even in winter months they will be attracted to and breed near warm, humid areas indoors such as near drains, pipes, or wiring. Contact a professional pharaoh ant exterminator Toronto as soon as you spot pharaoh ants. Choose an exterminator who guarantees his work for the best outcome.
The pharaoh ant is problematic for homeowners, as the insect will rapidly assemble on unattended food sources and dirty dishes. They are typically unable to bite humans due to their size, however, the ants can pose still pose health risks for humans as they can carry and transmit many diseases, such as salmonella, staphylococcus, and clostridium, which can cause botulism. The pharaoh ant seeks warm, moist places, and as such hospitals are at risk of infestations as pharaoh ants may try to occupy injuries under used bandages on humans.
How to Get Rid of Pharaoh Ants in an Apartment
Pharaoh ants are small ants measuring about 2mm long and often considered a nuisance or minor pest. This miscalculation can prove costly in the long run since these ants multiply rapidly. They are also disease carriers and may also cause structural damage in case of a major invasion.
Only about 10-percent of worker ants go out foraging for food at a time. Spotting a trail of ants likely means that you are dealing with a much larger problem than you can see. Spraying pesticides worsens the problems so the best cause of action is to call in an expert pharaoh ant exterminator in Ontario.
Why You Need Professional Extermination
Pharaoh ants are notoriously difficult to get rid of even for seasoned professionals. There is also a good chance that you could make the infestation worse by attempting to exterminate the ants yourself.
Pharaoh ants are dreaded for their habit of ‘Budding’. Since most colonies have more than one queen, one or more queens may leave the colony, taking with it workers, pre-adults and eggs to form a new colony away from the original one. This budding often happens when there is overpopulation or when a nest has been disturbed such as by ineffective pest control methods.
Pharaoh ants may have multiple nesting and foraging sites including inaccessible areas such as ceilings, inside walls, electrical outlets, and floor voids. A typical extermination exercise may span several apartments and several rooms and areas in each apartment. Such an extensive extermination is out of reach for the average person with little or no knowledge on how to deal with pharaoh ants.
Baiting is the most effective method for pharaoh ant control in Ontario. The process involves using non-repellent bait (including hydramethylon, boric acid or sulfonamide) to lure worker ants. The worker ants carry the poisonous bait back into the nest (the slow acting poison doesn’t kill the ants on the spot) where the colony feeds on the poison and dies.
Baiting requires some technical knowledge including identifying trails, finding the best areas for bait placement and the choosing the most effective type of bait for the specific infestation. Over-the-counter baits are available but are often only a temporary solution. These products contain only a fraction of the active ingredients that the professionals use. The ants may disappear for a while but in reality could be organizing themselves into multiple new colonies if the bait was ineffective and disturbed the nest. The infestation soon reappears now worse than ever.
Exterminating pharaoh ants requires professional help. One of the most challenging aspects when dealing with an infestation is the fact that pharaoh ants have multiple queens in a nest. These nests reproduce and mature very rapidly, and queens are able to leave their existing settlements and establish colonies nearby. As such exterminating them is almost impossible for amateurs. The insects can sense danger and if ineffective retail products are used, and as such the queens will react by branching out throughout an area. This will only serve to worsen and spread the already existing infestation throughout a building, and new satellite colonies will be that much more difficult to locate.
The bottom line is call a professional. When foraging for food pharaoh ants will leave trails for others to follow, so if you see one in your home there’s more to come. Sighting one or several pharaoh ants indoors is an indication of an infestation which necessitates action. If you see these miniscule pests don’t hesitate, call The Exterminators and get the process started to get them out of home. We offer effective pharaoh ant treatments backed with warranty. Call: 647-496-2211
