Ants

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They don't just ruin picnics

As every homeowner in Victoria knows, dealing with ants can be extremely difficult and frustrating. You will find that with most DIY methods – whether it’s  the old Aunt’s recipe or the recommendation of your hardware store manager, will deal only with the tip of the iceberg: the ants you can actually see. It also needs to be taken into account that not all ants are born the same, and that each type of ant needs its own treatment. Determining the treatment course and the type of infection is not a job for amateurs. Professional exterminators, on the other hand, can diagnose your infection and have effective procedures that take into account and deal with nests and hidden populations to prevent the infection from returning.

What follows is just some of the useful data you need to evaluate your Vancouver Island ant problem:

The points of entry can be almost unlimited. Ants can fit through the smallest of cracks, in search for water and food. Once in, ants leave a scent trail which contains pheromones that other ants can  follow to locate the goodies.

Their nests can be located anywhere inside or in the vicinity of the house – or even under it – and the size of colony can be as large as 500,000.  Also, a colony can up and leave when they feel in danger and setup camp elsewhere surprisingly fast. This makes eliminating them particularly difficult.

Once setup, a colony would thrive for a long time with workers living as long as seven years, and the queen more than twice as long.
The ant goes through four different stages through its life: egg, larvae, pupae and adult. This metamorphosis can take from weeks to months to complete, depending on species and situation.

The queen ants are fertile adult females that lay the eggs for the colony. Workers are non-breeding females that do everything else from food collecting to feeding the larvae, cleaning up the nest and, if needed, defending the nest. Workers ants are not winged while the male adults usually are. The only work of males consist in mating with the queen when required, which happens during the swarming process.

Once a female ant has successfully mated, she becomes a queen ant. She selects a good nesting place to begin colony of her own, and  begin laying eggs. Incubation takes 1 or 2 weeks until the larvae hatches. These are very hungry kids that make the adults spend ,ost of their time working to feed them.

The next (pupae) stage begins by when the larvae molts, shedding their skin. Pupae are like adults, but their legs and antennae are folded against their body. Usually they begin the pupal stage white, but as they age they become darker. In some species pupae may cocooned. Finally, when they emerge form this stage the adult ant has grown fully.

Because of the diversity and adaptability of these pests, dealing with them is clearly better left to the pros. So contact Garden City Pest Control today at (250) 479-8788 and let us help you out of your pest problem!

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