The Kawarthas Pest Control & Wildlife Removal Services

Carpenter Ants in the Kawarthas

Carpenter ants are wood-destroying insects native to the Kawarthas that are usually mistaken for termites. Much like termites, carpenter ants can consume and destroy a wooden structure if left alone. These ants have even been known to cause walls to collapse.

Carpenter ants live in a network of nests: a Parent Colony, which is almost always outside, and Satellite Nests, located in a radius around the parent colony. The Satellite Nests act to expand the foraging range of the parent nest, and they are in frequent contact with the Parent Nest to share resources. Carpenter ants may not eat the wood they chew, but they can still cause a lot of damage to your home. To burrow and build their nests, carpenter ants munch through dead, wet wood easily, creating tunnels and cavities to lay eggs and grow their colonies.

How To Get Rid of Carpenter Ants

• Step 1: Locate the nest
  Follow a scent trail or check suspect wood for visible signs of damage, keeping in mind that ants usually forage about 300 feet from the nest. Indoors carpenter ants can often be found nesting near sinks, tubs and other high-moisture zones. Outdoors, check around tree stumps, firewood stacks and wood structures with obvious moisture damage.
• Step 2: Destroy the nest
  Once you locate a nest indoors, apply insecticide dust by drilling holes into the wall where the nest is suspected and inject the dust. You can also use non-toxic borax, boric acid or diatomaceous earth. You may have to repeat the treatment several times. If the nest is outdoors, drench it with a sprayer of liquid insecticide.
• Step 3: Put out bait.
  If you can’t find the nest or it is difficult to access, place slow-acting granular bait near entry points and moist areas where ants are likely to gather. You can also spray foam or gel baits into voids, through nail holes into walls, around gaps in plumbing and into ant tunnels themselves. Ants will hopefully bring the bait back to the nest and kill the entire colony, queen and all.

Mice and Rodents in the Kawarthas

Rats and mice are members of the rodent family and are a nuisance to any home. Rodents can contaminate about 10 times the food they consume with their waste, fur, and saliva, all of which harbor diseases like hantavirus. This leads to weakened immune systems, headaches, fever, meningitis, and in rare cases, even rabies. Rodent infestations can wreak havoc on your property, leaving a trail of tattered wires, boxes, and clothes. Rodents are capable of squeezing into gaps that appear to be too small for them and will enter your home at any given opportunity. These critters breed rapidly all throughout the year so one rodent currying through your home is one rodent too many.

Signs of mice and other rodent infestation include:

• Droppings: These are dark brown and shaped like rice grains.
• Scratching noises: Rats are agile climbers and can go up to hard-to-reach places like lofts and ceilings. They may also occupy the space beneath floorboards.
• Nests: Rodents nest in warm, hidden places such as the gap behind the refrigerator, using shredded bits of cardboard and fabric as material.
• Burrows: Check for burrows in your garden, shed, or garage.