Roses are red, violets are blue, she’s got ants and so do you

This time of year, especially with the wet, wet, wet winter we’ve had, we can expect heavy ant pressure.  They could show up in new areas where they haven’t before, or in heavier numbers. Ants are social insects, like wasps and yellow jackets. They can have either one or multiple reproductive queens, which mate once and can continue laying fertilized eggs for 20+ years!  Social insects utilize a caste system with defined roles. If a worker ant’s job is to tend to the brood then that is what she will do for her entire adult life.  If her job is to gather food, that task will dictate every waking hour.  Outdoors, ants are just fine, if you ever have an hour to spend on a warm summer evening we would highly recommend finding an ant trail outside and following it around (bring a flashlight).  You will be amazed at what they can teach you!  Our job is to prevent them from establishing a colony in your home or business.  Varying construction styles and conducive conditions make for ideal ant habitats.

There are 3 main species of Ants we typically see affecting a structure this time of year: Carpenter Ants, Odorous House Ants, and Pavement Ants.

Carpenter Ants
Carpenter Ants can cause significant damage to the structural wood members of a house.  Both these pictures showing Carpenter Ant damage were taken at locations where we treated.  Unfortunately the call from our client came after the ants had already done their damage.  As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”