ANTS

ARGENTINE ANTS

Linepithema humile

Typically a light brown/brown in color and around an 1/8th of an inch in size. Argentine ants typically nest in moist areas near a food source. These ants are known to have many queens which means their numbers can range from several hundred to several thousand.

Argentine ants tend to feed by mouth to mouth transfer which makes baiting the ideal way for treating them.

ODOROUS HOUSE ANT

Tapinoma sessile

Also known as the sweet feeding or sugar ant, odorous house ants are around an 1/8th of an inch and are a black or brown color. These colonies can contain up to 100,000 ants with several queens and can reproduce very quickly. These ants tend to nest in soil, usually under objects where water and food is prominent and tend to enter indoors when the colony becomes too large and the food source becomes scarce.

Finding the nest is crucial to treating and eliminating odorous house ants. Typical pesticide applications around the outside of the property are great at keeping the ants out. If, though, the ants are already inside you may need to treat the voids with a dust or use a bait to pull them out.

CARPENTER ANTS

Camponotus vicinus

Moderate in size, Carpenter ants tend to be around 1/4-1/2 inch in size and are black in color. Colonies tend to nest in moist or decaying wood and are made up of around 3,000 workers and one queen. Carpenter ants forage alone or along trails 300 ft from their nest. Because of this its crucial to follow these ants back to their nest in order to treat them effectively.

ROACHES

AMERICAN COCKROACH

American cockroaches are one of the largest roaches found in homes, typically measuring 1½ to 2 inches long. They are reddish-brown in color with a distinctive light yellow or tan outline behind the head. These roaches are fast runners and are often seen at night. They prefer warm, damp environments and are commonly found in basements, crawlspaces, bathrooms, utility rooms, drains, and around plumbing.

American Roaches are known for coming in through cracks and crevices in the home, whether through doors, windows or even through the eves around the roof of the home. Best treatment plans include treating the outside perimeter of the home to catch them before they are able to get inside. If they've already made it inside a good treatment with a product like Demand CS or Alpine WSG is great defense to kill them off before they can get any worse.

GERMAN ROACHES

German cockroaches are small, fast-reproducing roaches, typically measuring ½ to ⅝ inch long. They are light brown to tan in color and are easily identified by the two dark parallel stripes running down their back just behind the head. German roaches are almost always found indoors and prefer warm, humid areas close to food and water, such as kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, appliances, and wall voids. Because they hide extremely well and multiply quickly, seeing even one German cockroach often indicates a larger hidden infestation nearby.

The best way to treat for German Roaches is a bait accompanied with an IGR (Growth Regulator). This way not only do you prevent the production of more roaches but the bait is going to help get product to the roaches that are still hiding behind the walls or in the voids. Depending on the severity though of the issues it may be best to look to one our Pest Professionals to help get a handle on the roaches.