Nobody likes to see ants in their crawling across their path. With over, 12,000 species world-wide, it’s important to have an accurate identification of this pest.

Carpenter Ants

Common invaders of homes in Southern Ontario. Although their name suggests that they would be an industrious addition to your home, these pests can cause significant damage as they tunnel through wood structures to build their nests. The two dominant species are the Northern Carpenter Ant (black abdomen with reddish thorax and head) and the more common Pennsylvanian Carpenter Ant (completely black).  Please visit our Carpenter ant page for more information on how to address infestations.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants are 2-4 millimeters long and range from dark brown to black in colour. An introduced species from Europe, they have established their colonies across North America. Winged reproductive ants swarm mainly in the spring but can also swarm at other times during the year. Workers will leave a pheromone trail which leads to your home once they find a food source. They then follow this trail straight into your home.

Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants are yellow or reddish-brown in colour and are very small (2 mm in length).  They were originally found in tropical locations but have made their way to Canada. They currently thrive in buildings across the Southern Ontario region. These ants proliferate by producing additional queens that leave the original nest with a portion of workers and brood (a collection of eggs, pupa and larvae) to start another colony. A single nest can seed multiple colonies in a building in a short time period.

Elimination of these species can be arduous since multiple colonies can consolidate during a pesticide application to repopulate the building at a later time. Insecticide sprays should be avoided since they usually spread the infestation instead of conquering it.