An infestation of ants in your home is a troubling situation. Ant traps are a do-it-yourself approach to solving the problem that is easy and affordable, but it is not always the best solution. You may require professional carpenter ant control in Toronto, but if you want to try ant traps first, here are some things you should know beforehand. 

How Do Ant Traps Work?

From the name, you may think that ant traps work by luring the ants inside and then preventing them from getting back out, but this is a mistaken notion. The traps work by taking advantage of how ants feed. Certain worker ants have the responsibility of going out and finding food and then bringing it back to the nest. They liquefy the food and carry it within their bodies, and when they return to the nest, they feed it to other ants in the colony. 

Ant traps consist of a small container with holes on the outside for ants to exit and enter. Inside, there is a material that consists of two chemical ingredients: an ant attractant and an insecticide. The ants swallow the material, then exit the ant trap and feed it to the other ants in the colony, including the queen and new ant larvae. By the time the original ant succumbs to the poison, she has fed it to other members of the colony, which die soon after. 

What Can You Do To Make Effective Use of Ant Traps?

Ant traps do not work if the insects cannot find them. Therefore, you should place them strategically in places where ants are likely to be. Ants that enter human homes are primarily searching for food and water, so places to put ant traps include around pipes and drains and inside pantries or cupboards where food is stored. One of the ways that ants get inside buildings is through holes in the wall, so you may want to put ant traps near wall outlets and around doors or windows. 

If there are areas where you have seen ant activity, it is a good idea to put an ant trap in the vicinity. However, be careful not to put the trap directly in the path of the ants. When ants travel from place to place, they usually follow the same route, also known as an ant trail. If you put the trap directly in the ants’ path along the trail, they won’t take the bait. Better to identify the ant trail and put the trap near it but not directly on it. 

Because ant traps contain poison, you also have to give some thought to vulnerable members of your household. When deciding where to place them, be sure that they are out of reach of small children or pets. Ant traps are generally very safe, but a child or pet who gets ahold of one could come to harm. 

How Effective Are Ant Traps?

The effectiveness of ant traps depends on several different factors. Some contain attractants based on carbohydrates, while others contain protein-based bait. The other factor is the ant species. Different types of ants are attracted to different things. If you are not sure what species of ant you are dealing with, you may want to try different types of traps with different bait. 

That’s not to say that all will be attracted to at least one type of ant trap. Some species don’t show much interest at all.

Call Truly Nolen for Carpenter Ant Removal in Toronto

The carpenter ant is one of the species that doesn’t respond well to ant traps, meaning that professional carpenter ant removal is more likely to be effective as the first line of defence. Find out more about the many pest control services that we offer in your area.