How Much Do Ant Exterminators Cost? (A
Simple Guide)
Outdoors, ants are a friend to us humans
and to the environment. Inside our homes, however, ants are among the worst
pests you’ll ever encounter.
So if you’re thinking about calling an ant
exterminator, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll tell you everything there
is to know about contacting an ant control company—from when you should make
the call to how to what to tell your neighbors, and everything in between.
Should You Call for Professional Ant Control?
Ants have been classified as social
insects, meaning that they live in large nests or in clustered groups known as
super colonies. They don’t stray too far from their home, so if you see a few
ants scouting across your kitchen area, chances are that they’ve already
established a colony inside your home’s structure.
Why Make the Call?
Ants move in trails and they don’t shy
away from human presence. Although they may seem like a snap to deal with on
your own, an ant infestation is something that needs immediate professional
attention.
When to Call for an Ant Exterminator
The presence of ants inside your home
doesn’t pose an immediate and serious threat to you and your family’s health.
HOW DO I MAKE MY HOME ANTS PROOF?
Although tiny and defenceless, ants do need
to be controlled and removed when your home or business has an ant nest housing
an army of ants. The army will usually consist of an ant that reproduces other
ants, and also the common worker ants that find food to support the reproducing
ant. Ants are crafty creatures and enjoy being together. You will rarely see an
ant alone as they usually trail behind each other in single file.
You might think that killing a few ants
that you see will solve the problem. Despite short-term gratification, however,
ants are clever and leave behind pheromones which provide other ants with
guidance as to where to travel. This means that ants can spread far in a short
amount of time. Even if you break up the pack, they will be able to find their
friends within their colony.
CAN ANTS CAUSE HARM?
Certain types of ants can cause harm to
humans should they sting the person. However, common household ants are usually
attracted to odours that emanate from food items, rotting food and dead plant
matter, animals and insects. Household ants are unlikely to be attracted to
humans and will not crawl after you.
HOW TO PREVENT ANTS IN HOUSE?
Keeping your property inside and outside
clean is essential. Although ants are small and seemingly vulnerable, they can
penetrate the home from any location with the slightest opening. It is
important that you seal your home or business completely and ensure that no
rubbish, food, or plant matter is left lying around the property. Ensure that
your property has no odours and areas of dampness.
BEST WAY TO GET RID OF ANTS
It is wise to call a professional to get
rid of ants. Ants are crafty creatures. Even if you sight a trail of ants and
try to kill them with household means, such as soapy water, you will rarely
target the nest which houses the colony. Professional ant controllers have the
experience, tools and knowledge to be able to locate ant nests and terminate
the breeding process with special treatment products that are proven to work
effectively
Get Your House Back From Ants With Our $25
Off Ant Control Offer
PCI Pest Control has been around for over
twenty years! That is twenty years of helping families protect their homes, and
get rid of creepy crawlies. We understand how important protecting your family
is, since we are a family company ourselves. The home is a special place for
families to gather together and create memories, not pests. Let us help protect
your home from pests for good.
Ant Inspections: There are many ant species
in Western Washington – do you know which one you are dealing with? Make an
appointment to have on of our trained technicians come out, so you know exactly
which ant species is infesting your home. Different ants require different
programs to control and prevent activity, so we want to provide the most
specific treatment possible to make your home ant-free.
Ant Prevention Treatments: Ants are the #1
nuisance pest in the Pacific Northwest and you should expect activity at your
home! But with the help of PCI Pest Control, you can get rid of these annoying
ants because we offer preventative programs that will protect your home year
round. PCI Pest Control exterminators will come to your home quarterly,
bi-monthly, or even monthly if you desire to make sure your ant issues are
taken care of.
Ant Infestation Treatments: If the ants
have taken over your home, our infestation treatments will do the trick. The ants will get kicked out of your home,
for good.
Why Choose PCI Pest Control?
Here at PCI, we care about all of your pest
control needs. Not every company cares about their clients, but at PCI Pest
Control, we will treat you like family. As a family-owned company, family is a
priority to us, so automatically, you are a priority as well.
ANT CONTROL
WE’LL SHUT DOWN ANTS BEFORE THEY COME
MARCHING IN
Ants are highly social creatures — seeing
one ant likely means more are nearby. And killing some ants won’t take care of
the problem. Effective ant control often requires finding and treating the
colony.
YOU NEED THE STRONGEST PEST PROTECTION YOU
CAN GET
Pests never stop trying to get into your
home. Terminix® never stops working to keep them out. With more than 90 years
of experience killing termites and pests, we are America’s leading provider of
termite and pest control services.
Ant indentification
With more than 700 species in the United
States, ant identification can be quite a challenge. Start by looking for
trails. Ants very rarely travel alone and are usually spotted when they’re
hunting as a colony along paths that have been well established. When you’ve
found a trail, look at the sizes of the ants. Are they identical or do they
vary in size? Also observe when the ants are active—during the day or at night?
Look for nests at the end of trails—especially in areas with soil. Soil nests
have distinct shapes or patterns depending on the ant species.
Ant facts
Ant infestations tend to happen fast.
Regardless of whether your ant problem is an annoyance or an all-out
infestation, you may be surprised to learn how fascinating these little
creatures actually are
Ant behavior
Ants are social insects that live in
colonies and have several different types or castes of individuals. Each caste
has a different function or job in the colony.
HOW TO GET RID OF CARPENTER ANTS
Getting rid of carpenter ants isn’t easy
without an experienced service technician on your side, but there are some
steps you can take on your own. Just be aware that even with a pest management
professional, killing carpenter ants is a difficult task, and often requires
quite a few attempts, due to the manner in which carpenter ants nest. So how do
you get rid of carpenter ants? Here’s a helpful checklist.
HOW DO YOU FIND CARPENTER ANT NESTS?
Carpenter ant nests come in two forms:
parent nests and satellite nests. The parent nest is where the queen resides.
When resources in the parent nest become limited, satellite nests are settled
and the colony expands. Nests can be indoors or out, so finding them is the key
to getting rid of carpenter ants. These ants follow scented trails to travel
back and forth between food and the nests. You can use this trailing behavior
to your advantage to find the nests. Since they are most active late at night,
place a few drops of honey or jelly on the backside of masking tape each night.
When the ants feed on the honey, don’t spray or kill them. Instead, follow them
back to their nest. This takes some patience.
WHERE SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR CARPENTER ANTS IN
HOMES AND OUTSIDE?
Indoors, carpenter ant nests are usually
located in areas where there is moisture-damaged wood. Prime nesting locations
include wall voids, behind dishwashers, near sinks and tubs or other areas with
high levels of moisture. The ants often access their nests via baseboards,
electrical outlets, door casings or cracks in the walls. If the ants are just
foraging in your home and their nest is outside, you will often find colonies
in tree stumps, dead or dying trees, and other wood with a lot of moisture
damage
HOW DO YOU DESTROY THE NEST?
While it’s highly recommended that a
reliable pest management professional destroy carpenter ant nests, some
homeowners attempt carpenter ant treatment themselves. For nests indoors,
carefully drill one-eighth of an inch wide holes in the wall, every 6 inches or
so. Do this 3 to 6 feet on either side of the suspected nest location.
Carpenter ants love to travel on pipes and wires. As such, their nests are
often located near wiring and piping, so be careful when drilling. When the
holes are drilled, puff boric acid powder into them. The powder will disperse
inside the wall voids and kill the ants right in their nest. Don’t seal the
holes right away – you will likely have to repeat the treatment a few times
since killing carpenter ants isn’t easy. If the nest is outdoors, it can be
drenched in an insecticide such as carbaryl, diazinon or chlorpyrifos (these
may not be legal in every state, so be sure to check first). However, this can
be dangerous to children and pets, so it’s highly recommended that all
treatments are handled and performed by a pest management technician.
WHAT’S THE BEST FORM OF CARPENTER ANT
CONTROL AND PREVENTION?
to avoid having another one develop. Fix
all leaks, including plumbing, roofs and drainage systems. Areas with high
moisture levels should be evaluated and corrected to reduce moisture. If possible,
eliminate any places where wood meets the soil outdoors. Clip tree limbs and
brush that touches or overhangs the house as these are bridges for carpenter
ants to enter your home. Seal all cracks in the foundation, including where
wiring and utility pipes enter the structure. Get rid of any wood lying around
the house. If you have a firewood pile, store it away from your home, elevated
off of the ground.