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Ant Control
OUTSMARTING ANTS IS A QUEEN-SIZE CHALLENGE
Many ant species make no secret of their nesting spots. Others seem to come from nowhere. They can invade your home or business to the point of exasperation.
You need an expert
A professional Pest Control Operator (PCO) knows which habits to expect as soon as he identifies the particular ant species that's bugging you. He recognizes whether they're indoor or outdoor nesters, whether or not they establish a scented trail from nest to food source, or if they find food by meandering in a disorganized fashion. He is familiar with how far different species will travel to forage for food, and which are attracted by sweets, cheeses, greasy foods, meats and other food supplies. The PCO knows which ants cause problems by destroying wood, stinging people or pets or just by being a nuisance.
All of this is important in locating the nest-bound queen ant. She alone is responsible for sending out wave after wave of the invading pests.
Ants... or imposters?
Flying ants are frequently confused with termites. A PCO can clear up the mistaken identitiy. He realizes that ants are characterized by elbowed rather than straight antennae. All are thin-waisted, and have three distinct body components. The forewings of flying ants are always much larger than the hindwings. None of these traits characterizes termites.
FOR ANT-FREE PICNICS, TRY THE NORTH OR SOUTH POLE
Those seem to be the only regions on Earth inhospitable to ants. More than 4000 different species have proved they can survive... indeed, thrive... just about anywhere. From sea-level to over 14,000 feet above. From arctic regions to the tropics. From very moist to dry desert ground. Ants protect themselves from the climate and their natural enemies by living in the ground, or inside trees or buildings.
More ants than anything
By establishing colonies in every type of soil, ants have managed to produce a population that outnumbers every other insect on earth. What's more, except for male ants, whose time runs out once they mate, ants outlive most other insects. Some queen ants can live for up to 15 years. Some are known to lay tens of thousands of eggs in a lifetime. However, workers tend to live a few months.
Ants need space and they won't hesitate to claim it, even if it happens to be yours. They'll nest in the best-kept lawns, parks and golf courses for as long as they're tolerated.
SOME SETTLE IN FOR YEARS IF YOU LET THEM
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are ant colonies. It usually takes ants years just to get firmly established... but once that's accomplished, some colonies can survive for as long as 30 or 40 years. Sometimes the original queen will be replaced many times over. What's more, adult ants whose colonies are disturbed simply shift housing arrangements by carrying eggs, larvae and pupae to a safer location.
Talk about spoilers... what ants won't eat, they weaken, destroy or contaminate. And what they do eat is almost everything consumed by humans plus a whole lot more.
Carpenter ants have replaced termites as the major destroyers of wood in some areas. The immense galleries they excavate in trees and buildings sometimes causes significant structural damage before anyone knows they're around. What's more, an entire colony will sometimes migrate from one nesting site to another and start the destruction all over again. The good news: sooner or later they give away the location of their nest with piles of coarse sawdust. Faint rustling sounds in walls, floors and woodwork are another clue.
Insiders, outsiders or both
More than 20 ant species invade homes. Among them are tiny thief ants that sometimes go undetected for weeks. They earn their title by feeding off the larvae of other species. Commonly seen around the kitchen sink or pantry, they go for cheeses, greasy foods, meats and sometimes sweets.
Argentine Ants are among the many species who like honey, syrups and jellies. They're also meat-eaters. And outside, they can severely damage orchard crops.
Fire Ants are named for the fiery pain they inflict on people, pets, chickens and other farm animals. The sting can result in severe aching and itching for up to three days - and can make it virtually impossible for field workers to stay on the job. Fire Ants are also responsible for serious crop damage - and for building huge mounds that are eyesores in lawns and detrimental to field cultivation.
Many different species of yard ants injure plants by tunneling around roots, causing them to dry out.
How it all began
A colony starts when a newly fertilized queen digs a hole, then seals it off and remains a voluntary prisoner. Eggs grow within her body for weeks, even months. Once the first eggs are laid and hatched, the queen nourishes the emerging larvae with her saliva until they reach the pupae stage. The first worker ants emerge from pupal cases 6 to 8 weeks after the eggs were laid. Being poorly nourished, they're abnormally small. But they're important for development of the colony because they're the first to go out foraging for food for the queen and all the ants to come. No small task - since the queen keeps right on laying eggs all her life.
How far it can go
Left alone, Pharoah Ants can build up colonies of 300,000 or more. They can achieve such a head count because it is not uncommon for a colony to have several queens. Also, their nests are often hard to find. Pharoah Ants frequently live indoors, nesting between walls in subfloor areas, above ceilings or behind baseboards. They are a major problem in institutions - especially hospitals, where they have been found infesting patients' dressings, and are suspected of transmitting germs by contact. They're one of the smallest and most prolific pests found throughout the US and Canada.
NO ANT IS SAFE FROM PCO APPLICATIONS
There are measures you can take to minimize the liklihood of an ant invasion. In the kitchen, wiping up spills and putting food away immediately in sealed containers helps. Keeping your home dry and well-ventilated will discourage dreaded Carpenter Ants from entering.
When ants do get in, insecticides applied along baseboards or around foundations can provide some temporary relief. But ants seldom carry enough insecticide back to the nest to kill the queen - so the nest must be located and the colony destroyed.
PCO Applications:
Your Pest Control Operator knows where to look. And how to fight back with the best products available. Though deadly effective against all kinds of ants, these products offer a very low hazard to people or pets. These insecticides keep working for weeks. The residual control means fewer repeat treatments even in heavily infested areas where you expect new colonies to keep plaguing you. Your PCO has an arsenal that can stop the ant invasion.
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