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Ants

Peregrine pest control service technicians are the experts in ant removal in Calgary. Most ant issues start with a sighting in the kitchen or a trail of ants walking along the baseboards. Many times, the right pest control solutions include finding and exterminating the ant colony, removing food attractants, and sealing pest entry points. At Peregrine, our knowledgeable pest control service technicians have a thorough understanding of ant habits and nesting sites. Peregrine’s pest control service technicians are experts in devising action plans to suit the ant species that is affecting you. Our pest control service technicians pride themselves by having the knowledge and expertise to guide you to becoming ant free in a professional and timely manner.

Professional Ant Exterminator – Calgary – Ant Treatment Service
403-475-6523
Peregrine Pest Control – Ant Removal – Calgary & area
All our ant treatment technicians are licensed applicators in the province of Alberta.
Peregrine Pest Control is Quality Pro Certified and ISN Certified.
*Our Calgary ant removal team has 60+ years of combined experience
Check out the Peregrine Pest Control team here

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Odorous House Ants: Odorous House Ants are among the most challenging of ants to control. Odorous house ants turn up in the most unusual of places. They are very adaptable and create numerous colonies, nesting beneath ground debris including wood piles, bricks, mulch, loose bark, etc. They may also invade spaces in walls, below carpets, and baseboards, etc. Eliminating odorous house ants involves locating each ant colony and treating it directly.

Pavement Ants: are one of the common ant species found. Pavement ants like to set up colonies beneath sidewalks and foundations and may also nest build beneath bricks, stones or compost heaps. You have probably seen these ants foraging for food crumbs on your kitchen counter or trailing around in your bathroom. Locating the actual nest of pavement ants can be difficult but is essential if they are to be eliminated.

Carpenter Ants: like to colonise in wood and can cause extensive structural damage if left untreated. Carpenter ants have a vicious sting when disturbed, so be careful how you approach their nests. Looking for signs of sawdust or moisture problems in walls will lead you to where carpenter ants can be found. Whenever there is wood in contact with soil and there is more than 30% humidity in the wood, you have the potential for carpenter ants to infest the wood.

HOW TO IDENTIFY ANTS

Odorous House Ants: Ants have one node, one-sized workers about 3.5mm, uneven thoraxes, 12 antennal segments, no clubs, no circle of hair on tip of the abdomen and are brown to black in colour. An easy identification method is that workers give off rotten coconut smell when crushed. The node is flat in shape and is hidden by the abdomen.

Pavement Ants: have two nodes, worker size is about 3mm, uneven shaped thoraxes, 12 antennal segments, antennae clubs with 3 segments, and one pair of spines on the thorax. An easy way to distinguish them is that there are grooves present on the head and thorax. There is also a stinger present at the tip of the abdomen.

Carpenter Ants: have one node, evenly rounded thoraxes, 12 antennal segments, worker size is about 10mm and abdomens have long yellow hairs with a circle of hairs at the tip of the abdomen. They can be identified their distinct single node, black bodies and dark red legs.

OUR SOLUTION

Solving ant issues begins by knowing with which species of ants you are dealing. Once you know which species of ants you’re dealing with, you can put together an action plan that will solve the ant infestation. The most common species of ant in Calgary and area is the odorous house ant. It is often confused with the pavement ant. It is only when you put the ant under a microscope that you can analyze the abdomen, thorax, and head, looking for key differentiating features. At Peregrine, we believe the hard work with ants involves finding the nests and exterminating them. In a residential scenario, when exterminating non-wood-boring ants (odorous house ants and pavement ants), we would treat the exterior perimeter of the structure. This will eliminate ants as they are entering and exiting the structure, reducing the need to apply liquid chemicals on the interior. The next step is to inspect and eliminate ant hills and nests in the lawn, garden beds and surrounding areas. Eliminating the nests takes the pressure off the structure and will provide long-term results. On the interior, commercial gel baits are typically used. Wood-boring ants, such as carpenter ants, require a similar approach. The big difference is that many times there are carpenter ant colonies far within the walls of a structure — they require the help of a pest control professional to effect extermination.

COMMON CONCERNS

How do I know if I have carpenter ants?

In Calgary, most Carpenter ant work is fortunately quite minor. A typical scenario would be for carpenter ants to have made a colony in an exterior window frame. On acreages outside of Calgary, carpenter ant jobs seem to be more severe; they can inhabit multiple walls in the structure and are often found in the exterior surrounding areas. The best way to identify a carpenter ant is by scooping a few up and placing them in an old plastic container for your pest control service technician to inspect. If you see piles of saw dust in the middle of a room, falling out of a baseboard or window frame, you may have carpenter ants. You need to have 30% humidity in the wood for carpenter ants to make galleries. Does the structure have water issues? If it does, you have a potential problem.

We stand behind all our work. Should any problems arise within 90 days of the job, we will return for no extra charge, completely hassle-free.

It rained last night. Will this wash away the chemical?

The liquid chemicals used today are mainly pyrethrins. They break down rapidly due to sunlight and mechanical actions such as vacuuming, mopping and sweeping. Depending on the brand of chemical and how it was applied you can expect the chemical to last around 30 days on the interior and up to 14 days on the exterior of the structure. One or two millimeters of rain isn’t an issue. We tend to avoid treating for ants during rain, mainly because, like us, the ants aren’t out — they’re trying to keep dry. The chemical is most effective when the ants are present.

Do ant baits work?

The short answer is yes — ant baits work, but they require a lot of patience. Ants are very fussy eaters. In the morning, the colony may want protein; in the afternoon, the ant colony may want carbohydrates. Understanding this means putting out 2 or 3 different kinds of ant baits to appeal to the colony at all times. Most ant baits come in a 5% concentration, but this strength is too high. The ants usually die before they make it back to the nest. An ideal concentration is between 1% – 3%. Yes, ant baits do work, but they have limitations and results are not instantaneous.