Tapinoma sissile is the scientific name for Odorous House Ants. They are 1/16 to 1/8th inches long. They are also known as “sugar ants”, piss ants and many other names. They are not the problem; they are an indicator of a problem. The problem is moisture. Installing a HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation system) is probably the best way to get rid of the excess moisture that may be in the home. Read the rest of this entry »
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If you are seeing large ants crawling around your house, they are probably carpenter ants. In January or February the ants are still in diapause (a state of dormancy). While the ants are in diapause they do not eat food. They are also not eating or making tunnels in your structure.
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If carpenter ants are found in the house while remodeling, it is usually a satelite nest. An outside perimeter treatment done during the Winter will not probably help as the ants are in diapause (a state of “walking” dormancy) and are not likely to come into contact with a lethal dose of the material. However once the temperature outside is over 55°F then ther is going to be plenty of activity for the ants to get into the outside perimeter preventive treatment. Read the rest of this entry »
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When this is happening you can hear the ants chewing the insulation and spitting out the little pieces. They do the same thing with wood.
This is one of the things that show carpenter ants do not digest the material that they are chewing. Carpenter ants eat liquid materials such as plant nectars and syrups They make the galleries for a place where they can put their larvae and pupa until they develop into adult ants. This kind of damage has not yet been found in Icynene Insulation that I have seen. If you have observed it please contact me. Carpenter ants certainly have the ability to chew Icynene. If you find this happening, please give us a call. 457-4341 or 1-800-828-5508 or call another professional exterminator.
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Odorous House Ant
Odorous House Ant on Aphid Infested plant.
The odorous house ant is one of the most difficult ants to control. They do eat baits which is very effective as long as there is no food source that is more appealing than the bait. Most of the old borate baits do not work very well. It seems that odorous house ants tend to live inside of wall voids. They are often in homes insulated to the “Good-Sense” standards. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carpenter ants are in diapause from about October 1 thru March 1. Diapause is a form a walking around dormancy. The ant can go out to find water as they need it, but they tend to stay in their nests until about the middle of March. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carpenter ants on deck
If you see carpenter ants on your deck like this give us a call at 457-4341 or 1-800-828-5508. They definitely need to be treated. Our OPPT or Outside Perimeter Preventive Treatment will really have an effect on an infestation like this. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants fly (their nuptual flight) the first time approximately on Mothers Day in June. They repeat this flight about every month until August or September. The winged male ants are smaller than the females. The females also have wings, but are much larger than the males. Read the rest of this entry »
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If you are doing remodeling on your home and you find a nest of carpenter ants when you remove some drywall, get out the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum up all of the ants that you possibly can. This is a satillite nest. Unless there is a good amount of moisture present it will be too dry for a Queen Ants nest. There must be nearly 100% moisture for carpenter ant eggs to survive. There is no cuticle on the carpenter ant egg or the first instars of larval development. (The cuticle is a waxy material that keeps moisture inside of the ant.) After a few instars of larva development a cuticle will form, then they can be transported into a dry environment. Read the rest of this entry »
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Carpenter ant on foundation footing
Many calls for carpenter ant control are coming in. The customers are often amazed that I only recommend that an OPPT (Outside Perimeter Preventive Treatment) be done. If an infestation shows up as being in the house we recommend that it be repeated in 60 days. Read the rest of this entry »
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