Carpenter Ant Removal

Despite their size, Carpenter Ants are one of the most destructive household pests in Canada. Carpenter Ant removal is a job best left to professionals, as they do cause structural damage to properties.

Starting as early as March, Carpenter Ants can be found throughout Canada. During their active season, these pests are ready and willing to cause damage. Damage is not exclusive to homes, but structures and business in residential and commercial areas as well.  Specialized equipment is required to pinpoint the areas of activity but to treat the inside of walls as well.  Our Toodaloo Technicians use injection rods as well as thermal imaging guns to locate satellite nests and areas of high activity.

Parent nests for ant colonies are formed outside, usually in decaying wood or stumps, however when the parent nest becomes too full, it is time to move. Satellite nests are created to accommodate the spacial needs of the colony, separating worker ants, larvae and pupae are transferred to these new nests. This separation of the ant population makes the process of Carpenter Ant removal that much more in-depth.  In order to make these satellite colonies, Carpenter Ants will tunnel into solid wood, making their new home – inside yours!

Exterior spraying of surfaces will do very little for your Carpenter Ant removal as they are primarily located behind walls. Applications on the outside of the structure is like trying to perform open heart surgery without cutting the skin. Our technicians at Toodaloo Pest and Wildlife Control utilize tools that allow us access behind walls. These tools eliminate the need to drill multiple holes into walls and using “guesswork” as to where satellite nests and activity might be. Toodaloo Pest and Wildlife Control integrates a variety of treatment and inspection tools and techniques into its services to give the treatment scope additional assistance. Your home and/or business can be the largest investment you will ever make, so let’s keep it free from damage.

Carpenter Ant Removal: Identification

There are two types of Carpenter Ants commonly found in Canada. The first is “Modoc”, the Black Ants and the second is “Vicinus”, the Black and Red Ants. Both are similar in sizes and character and both inflicting structural damage to your home and/or business. The Modoc has one queen in the parent nest whereas the Vicinus has multiple queens in the parent nest.

Carpenter Ants have five different types/sizes of ants throughout their colony. They range in size from ¼” to ¾” in size. Carpenter Ants will start the “parent” nest (where the queen lives) usually in older decayed wood, tree stumps etc. Carpenter Ant colonies are like a well-oiled machine, moving back and forth from satellite colonies to parent nest in straight lines.  We only see about 5%-10% of the actual workers foraging for food. The best time to see Carpenter Ant activity is at night, after the sun goes down. Toodaloo Pest and Wildlife Control has found that the month of May seems to be the high time for reproductive Carpenter Ants to leave the nest and establish new colonies on their own. Calls for Carpenter Ant removal around this time are 10 fold.