Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities out there, with its residents having huge diversity in language, ethnicity, and culture. Being one of the largest metropolitan cities in Canada, Toronto boasts impressive infrastructure and safety for its people. Yet, the truth is, there are many more, tiny, almost unseen residents there, and they could number in the millions. We’re talking about the several kinds of ants that make their home in the pavements, walls, and soil of your property in Toronto.
The ant is a diverse type of insect, with almost countless different species in the world, and quite a few in Toronto. These ants, while surely important members of the ecosystem, can sometimes stray from their intended and more secluded dwellings to take up residence in thoroughfares, homes, and parks, where their nests can remain well-hidden for extended periods of time- growing in size and numbers- until they’re finally free to wreak havoc on vegetation, material, and people’s lives, especially if an infestation is left unchecked.
Quality Affordable Pest Control is listing the top harmful ant species in the Toronto area, so you know how to differentiate between regular garden variety ants, and the kinds that merit calling the exterminators in for a job. For more information on quality pest control at an affordable price, and some insights regarding the many different kinds of pests that could endanger your home and health, check our website.
Read more: How To Control Ant Hills In Your Yard
Carpenter Ants
Camponotus is more commonly known by its lay name, the Carpenter ant, due to their propensity for building their nests in damp, rotting wood. Because of this, Carpenter ants are likely to find a way to sneak into a home with moisture issues via small cracks or openings in the structure. In some cases, Carpenter ants can even find a way into your home via exposed wire openings, branches from trees, and unsealed gaps in utility pipes. This type of ant is among the largest of its species, with an adult worker’s length ranging from 3.4 to 13mm long. Worker ants of this genus also sport large mandibles and rounded thoraxes, and are normally black in color, although there are cases of Carpenter ants with dark brown, red, black, yellow, orange, yellowish tan or light brown coloration.
Pharaoh Ants
Monomorium pharaonis, or otherwise known as the Pharaoh ant, is one of the most common household pests worldwide, and is notorious for being one of the most difficult ant infestations to handle indoors, because of their rapid breeding practices and reputation for spreading disease. Perhaps akin to the desert monarchs they’re named after, Pharaoh ants are tiny, at about 2mm in length, and are a sandy yellow-brown in color, with red-black markings on their abdomen. They have a pair of 12-segmented antennae and a 3-segmented club on the end of each antennae. These ants are voracious, and will enter homes in search of crumbs, stains, dead insects, and sweet liquids. Handling a Pharaoh ant infestation is a challenge even for professionals, as any incorrect removal methods may entice the ants to branch off and form another colony in a different location close by.
Pavement Ants
Tetramorium caespitum are called Pavement ants because of their preference for building their nests in sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Because of their nest’s close vicinity to populated areas, Pavement ants will often find their way into homes, shops, and other human-inhabited structures in search of food, namely sweets, proteins, leftover food in a trash bin, or deceased insects. These ants can be identified by their dark brown to black colouring, with their appendages taking a slightly lighter shade than the rest of their body. Pavement ants can grow up to 3mm long, and similar to the Pharaoh ants, sport 12-segmented antennae with 3-segmented clubs at the end of each. Pavement ants in Whitby are normally docile, and keep to themselves. However, if provoked, they aren’t afraid to sting their aggressors.
Read more: What Attracts Ants Into Your Home?
Ant infestations in Markham are serious problems for the safety of your family and your home. Apart from the obvious unsightly factor of having a swarm of ants travelling in and around your home, along with the possibility of ants chewing through your walls, ants can infect people with dangerous diseases due to their habit of lingering amongst trash and rotting waste in search of food. In order to avoid any hassle or potential endangerment to your family and property, contact our extermination experts at Quality Affordable Pest Control. Our professional exterminators are fully trained to deal with ant infestations of any species, size, and severity, and use only the safest products and techniques to ensure effective and hazard-free extermination.