How do you recognize a carpenter ant from another species of ant? This is a question to ask before any treatment: it is necessary to identify the invasive ant species before acting.
Indeed, the treatments will not be identical if it is a carpenter ant (Camponotus spp.), a cobblestone ant (Tetramorium caespitum), a Pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) or other species of ants.
It is quite common to confuse termites or tendrils with carpenter ants for example because these insects attack wood.
Although these insects do damage and galleries in your frame or woodwork, the effects and impacts are not the same.
Ants can also colonize your pantry and closets because they are very greedy. They stock up on winter. Carpenter ants are destructive and do damage in a house. It is therefore important to treat carpenter ants, but not just any way!
If you spray insecticides yourself, this can be ineffective and even worsen the infestation. Ants may move their nests to another part of the house where they will be harder to find for the exterminator.
The advice and methods of a pest management expert are essential to effectively control any insect.
The first signs of carpenter ant infestation
The clearest sign is when ants are visually seen when they are looking for food. In the spring, when breeding, winged ants can also be seen. Sawdust can also be seen on the ground, often at the entrance to the anthill.
These signs are indicative of the presence of a colony of ants. You should then contact a specialist quickly to eliminate them.
Appeler René Gélinas Votre exterminateur local, Expérience et intégrité dans la gestion parasitaire
Tel 514 830 2819
Hantavirus, definition and mode of transmission
Hantavirus is a severe lung syndrome caused by a virus. It is secreted in the urine, feces and saliva of infected animals. Most often these are rodents. When humans come into direct or indirect contact with these secretions, the virus is transmitted to them. Ditto when they are bitten by infected rodents.
However, the virus is not transmitted from human to human, only from animal to human. This type of disease is called zoonoses because they can only be transmitted to humans through an animal. It has been found that domestic animals (apart from the domestic rat) and livestock cannot contract hantavirus so there is every reason to believe that only rodents can carry it.
Symptoms of hantavirus
Being a lung disease, one of the characteristic symptoms of hantavirus is difficulty breathing. At the beginning of the disease, the infected person begins to feel fever, chills, headache and muscle pain.
It is about two weeks after the appearance of the first symptoms that they are usually accompanied by a feeling of shortness of breath. Nevertheless, this last manifestation of the disease can be observed after two days as after six weeks; it depends on the organism of the individual.
Hantavirus can also lead to kidney disease or infection. And although they are rare and very few people are prone to them, there is currently no treatment to combat these ailments. It is therefore better to be careful not to contract them.
A reliable and quality anti-ant intervention
Once the parasitic management expert has clearly defined that carpenter ants have taken up residence in your home, this insect specialist will offer you effective solutions at the heart of an integrated control that will exterminate the colony of ants and prevent them from returning.
The exterminator is a professional who follows a rigorous procedure and uses insecticides approved by the Canadian state. The professional takes the following steps:
- First, identify the invasive ant species
- Find the ant nest or satellite nests, inside or outside the house (spot the ants’ entry)
- Eliminate the nest and especially the queen to prevent the ants from building their nest elsewhere
- Eliminate all sources of infiltration that can promote the arrival of carpenter ants (crack, dead wood, water leak…).
Professionals handle insecticides that are harmful to human health and the environment with great care, in accordance with current laws. Increasingly, organic products are being used to preserve biodiversity.
During this appointment, the specialist in parasitic management will take the opportunity to explain the right things to do or how to avoid the infestation of other unsympathetic insects such as cockroaches,bed bugs, flies…
The causes of an ant infestation are numerous
- Replacing wooden floors or old windows to improve home insulation
- Renewing the caulking of doors and windows
- A tree stump that rots in the garden
- Bringing firewood back into the house
- Buy an old piece of furniture from an ant-infested flea market. Moreover, this is also true for bed bugs, cockroaches or other pests
If you have noticed the comings and goings of ants in your home, do not wait and quickly call on a competent pest management expert. These experts will find a sustainable solution that is adapted to each situation.
