Red Deer is unique. A beautiful city hugging river it’s named after and surrounded by the beauty of the Canadian prairies, it’s a jewel in the country’s west.
Its geography and climate add to its culture, and also produce a unique set of pest control problems. One of the worst problems faced are Carpenter ants, who seem predisposed to the conditions in Red Deer, probably because the large beaver population builds many dams, which serve as excellent habitat for the ants.
Carpenter ants can be a big problem in parts of western Canada. Carpenter ants are one of the largest ant species in Canada. They are very active in spring and summer and constantly on the hunt for food. They are typically black in color. Carpenter ants feed on insects and also love human food.
Carpenter ants are wood-boring insects that live in moist, rotting wood. Once a colony establishes itself, it will hasten the process of decay by boring into healthy wood, which will then rot more quickly because of the structural damage caused by the ants. The colony will grow as available habitat increases – more of the wood that makes up their home begins to rot.
In nature, carpenter ants serve a purpose – they hasten the decay of fallen trees, returning their nutrients to the earth much faster than if they didn’t help to destroy them. In your home, Carpenter ants cause serious damage. They like to inhabit basements and crawlspaces, where they will work silently, degrading the materials that make up the structure of your home. When you finally detect the damage, you may be left with many thousands of dollars in damage or face that actual collapse of your home’s floor.
Carpenter ants leave various signs of their presence in your home including:
- Small trails of sawdust leading to their nest.
- Damaged wood marked by small tunnels.
- Multiple winged carpenter ants coming out from baseboards or vents.
Carpenter ants are one of the most difficult household invaders to deal with. Because they’re “just ants”, many homeowners attempt to take them on with over-the-counter remedies. Most of these solutions don’t work, and the time wasted on unsuccessful attempts to control the population result in more damage to the property.
How to Prevent Carpenter Ants
Routine household maintenance goes a long way in preventing carpenter ant infestations. Here are some tips to follow:
- Carpenter ants love moist wood. That means you should repair any leaks in the roof and/or plumbing. You’ll also want to clean out all rain gutters.
- Trim trees and shrubs around your home. Ants love to build nests in dead limbs and branches.
- Examine your homes for cracks in the foundation and seal them up.
- Never store firewood directly on the ground and never store it indoors. Use bricks or stones to keep the firewood off of the ground. Examine the wood before you bring it inside.
If you suspect you have a problem and need pest control services – contact the carpenter ant experts at Poulin’s Pest Control today. Our technicians are trained and certified in the latest carpenter ant control techniques and products. If you’ve got a carpenter ant problem, you need professional help. For an assessment of your carpenter ant problem in Red Deer, or anywhere across western Canada, contact us online or stop by one of our 7 retail store locations.