Finding one ant in your home may not seem alarming, but ants never travel alone. Where there’s one ant, there are almost certainly more. Ants live in large colonies. They have sophisticated methods of following each other to find food. If you spot ants in your home, you may need carpenter ant control in Kitchener. But how do you know which type of ants are hiking through your house? Keep reading to learn more about the differences between black ants and carpenter ants.

How to Identify Black Ants

Some refer to black ants as “kitchen ants” or “sugar ants.” That’s because they love to eat sweet stuff, like foods found in your kitchen. You may find these little buggers crawling on your countertops, especially in the summer. \They are tiny and only reach up to a quarter-inch in length at most. They aren’t destructive to your home, but they can multiply quickly. They are notoriously difficult to eradicate. The best way to remove these pests from your kitchen is to call us at Truly Nolen Canada. We use tried and true methods that will clear up your kitchen in no time.

How to Identify Carpenter Ants

Unlike black ants, carpenter ants can be incredibly destructive to your home. Gnawing wood is a carpenter ant’s favourite pastime, thus the name. Carpenter ants gravitate towards wet, damp wood. If you have a basement that often floods, it could be a breeding ground for carpenter ant colonies. Small piles of wood shavings near walls are a telltale sign of carpenter ants. When you spot signs of destruction, contact a professional immediately. When left to their own devices, carpenter ants can do significant structural damage to your home.

Carpenter ants are giant by ant standards. They can reach up to half an inch in size. They’re typically black but can be dark brown. Their bodies also have a slightly different shape than black ants. They have large backsides, known as the abdomen. The part just behind their heads, the thorax, is also large and rounded. You may also notice a curve in the antennae. Winged ants are responsible for reproduction and don’t stray far from the nest. If winged ants are inside, a nest may already be in your home.

How to Deal With Ants

When you see an ant, your first instinct is probably to smash it. Try to ignore that impulse. When ants die, they release a pheromone that alerts their brethren. The other ants will follow the scent trail to collect the dead, bringing more ants inside. These ants take the dead ant to a “midden pile.” The midden pile acts as an ant cemetery away from the nest.

It’s difficult, but the best way to deal with ants is to bait them with poison. You then need to wait for the ants to bring it back to their colony. More ants will come to collect the poison before they begin to die. Depending on the colony’s size, it can take months to complete this task on your own. It can also be incredibly frustrating. The fastest way to stop an ant infestation is to contact a professional. At Truly Nolen, we employ the safest and quickest methods to rid your home of these pests.

Living with insects crawling around your home can be unsettling. You can identify black ants and carpenter ants by their size and coloration. Don’t allow ants to expand their colonies inside of your home. If you suspect an ant infestation, contact us today. We’ll help you identify and rid your home of these pests. We’ll also provide prevention techniques to keep ants marching away from your Kitchener home for good.