Based on the large variety of ant killers available at the hardware store, it appears that consumers have many choices in DIY pest control. Products come in the form of liquids, powders, sprays, and traps that all claim to keep ants away for various amounts of time. If you need ant pest control in Mississauga, you may be tempted to pick up a can of spray. Truly Nolen advises against using these products and explains why you will have better success and save money in the end with our professional carpenter ant removal.

How Ant Spray Works

People purchase insect sprays because they want to take aim at a crawling ant, push a button, and see the insect stop moving immediately. Thus, the liquid inside the aerosol can must contain potent insect poisons that work on contact. Depending on the manufacturer, the active ingredients may be any of the following:

• Pyrethroids
• Imiprothrin
• Cypermethrin
• Tetramethrin
• Prallethrin
• Permethrin

While the above chemicals do their intended job of killing all the ants you see, they do nothing to end the life of the colony. Thus, using ant spray is only a temporary fix that you must repeat day after day. While sprays are generally safe for home use, they can be toxic or cause allergic reactions if you overuse or apply them incorrectly. There are also instances of ants becoming immune to certain insecticides when they encounter them frequently.

Why Ants Don’t Always Take the Bait

Ant bait comes in the form of powders, granules, or liquids. Some people purchase it as a fumeless alternative to sprays they can simply leave out for ants to find. The idea is that worker ants will take the poisoned bait into the colony, the queen will eat it, and the colony will be no more.

The problem with this strategy is that not all ants will accept the same kind of bait and that their preferences vary throughout the year. For example, ants prefer food high in proteins and lipids in the spring but switch to sugars in the summer. Most consumers do not know enough about the nutritional needs of insects to be able to make informed choices about which ant baits to buy.

When Ants Need Special Treatment

If you are battling carpenter ants with store-bought products, be aware that you are fighting a losing battle. An average colony contains thousands of individual ants. Even if you killed all the worker ants, the egg-laying queen could easily replace them within a few weeks. You can’t wait them out, either, because their habit of living indoors makes them a year-round pest that will not die out after a freeze.

The most important reason to get professional help with carpenter ants is that they are a sign of unseen decay somewhere in your home. They get their name from their habit of tunneling through wood to create their massive colonies. Healthy boards are too tough for their jaws, so they must actively seek out wet and rotting timbers. Thus, the sight of one is a red flag for structural problems you need to fix.

Truly Nolen of Mississauga

The professionals at Truly Nolen will locate and remove ant colonies and alert you to the location of damp wood before it decays any further. We will also remove all traces of infestation, including dead ants. Finally, we will advise you on steps to ensure the pests don’t return. Instead of experimenting with ant sprays that will eventually disappoint you, let the trusted experts at Truly Nolen rid your home of carpenter ants once and for all. Contact us online or call today.