The main reason why you should call a Toronto exterminator for a pharaoh ant control is because these ants are impervious to most common pest control treatments.
There are of course over-the-counter treatments and natural DIY solutions available. As you will soon find out, there is a good chance that you aren’t going to resolve the problem permanently. What’s more, there is also the possibility of making the infestation worse. Below are the reasons why you need to call a professional exterminator as soon as you spot a pharaoh ant infestation. This does not only apply for pharaoh ants but to sugar ants as well.
Table of Contents
Identification
Although pharaoh ants are easy to identify (about 1.5 to 2mm long and light-brown to yellow in color) they are often confused with other pale ants such as fire ants, bigheaded ants and thief ants. Treating for the wrong kind of infestation of course doesn’t solve the problem and constitutes time, money and effort down the drain. A professional exterminator is able to accurately identify the type of ant and draw from his education and experience to chart the way forward. Another small ant that likes sweet foods as well is the sugar ant. These ants prey on sweet foods. If you have enough, it could result in an infestation and damage. The baiting technique is particularly necessary especially if dealing with pharaoh ants in apartment building.
Hidden Colonies
Pharaoh ants rarely build colonies out in the open. While you might see a trail of ants while they forage, finding the location where they breed and live is far more difficult. These ants typically nest in piles of trash, inside appliances, in between books, in clothing and bed linen among other obscure areas.
Pharaoh ants may equally create feeding trails on hot water pipes or wiring making it extremely difficult to truly appreciate the scale of the infestation or locate the colony. An exterminator has the experience and knowledge necessary to track the ants and identify colonies or the scope of the problem. Extermination may also require treating electrical outlets, floor voids, ceilings and inside walls.
Risk of Worsening the Infestation
Pharaoh ants are dreaded for their habit of budding. A colony of ants may have multiple queens. Budding is a situation where one or more queens exits the nest taking with it eggs and workers. These ants choose a different location where they form a second or third colony.
Although budding may happen spontaneously, it typically occurs if the original nest is disturbed in some way. Common examples include spraying the colony where the surviving queens separate to form multiple colonies. The same may occur when the food source is interrupted or by using ineffective bait. DIY extermination therefore is more likely to worsen the infestation rather than resolve it. In case you have a pharaoh ant infestation, and you are not sure how to get rid of them, contact our ant removal Toronto services to help you out.
Wide Range of Food Preference
Baiting is the most effective way for exterminating pharaoh ants. The process involves poisoning the ant’s food source with a slow-acting agent. The workers carry the contaminated food to the nest for others to feed. The problem, however, pharaoh ants prefer a wide variety of foods including oily, fatty and sweet food. The food preference may also vary from one season to another. Only an exterminator is able to identify the most effective food to bait the ants.
The best answer to the pharaoh ant problem in Toronto is to call Pest Control Toronto – The Exterminators: call 647-496-2211. We offer customized solutions for pharaoh ant control.
