Pavement Ants

Pavement Ants are tiny black or brown ants often found trailing around kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages, sidewalks, mulch beds, and driveways. They are one of the two most commonly encountered ants in Northeast Ohio since their activity is heavy throughout the entire year.

Pavement Ants can make their nests either outside, beneath, or even occasionally inside your home. However, because of their tiny size and ability to move comfortably through the smallest of cracks, they may forage into your home looking for any kind of food or moisture source.

While most people consider sugary substances to be what attracts these ants, the truth is these ants will feed off anything from grease to other insects. Once a food source is found, workers of the colony are redirected and hundreds of ants can begin feeding and carrying food back to the nest site. Once a food source has been depleted, the ants will begin again searching throughout the home for their next target.

Because of how persistent pavement ants can be, it is important when treating to use safe residuals and deterrents to counter their activity. Another option is to use baiting with the ants. In this form of treatment a non-staining, gel bait is placed in areas where Pavement Ants are heavily active. The ants will then feed off the bait and return it to the nest site where it will devastate the entire colony.

When treating for pavement ants, we always begin with a thorough inspection of the home. Often, when a trail is present we are able to track the ants to their point of entry, then find the colony and treat it directly giving instant relief to the home. We then do a full perimeter treatment to the inside and exterior of your home to prevent any additional colonies from foraging or nesting.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are large black ants about ¼’’ to ½’’ often encountered around the exterior of the home as well as foraging within the home. Sometimes in the spring they are found “swarming” around light sources or windows within a home. These “swarmers” are commonly mistaken for termites because of their size and winged appearance, but are emerging reproductive ants attempting to start new colonies.

Carpenter ants are one of the most destructive insects in Ohio because of their ability to chew through and excavate wood in order to create nest sites. These sites are commonly found in exterior walls, trees, or where moisture build-up has allowed for their preferred environment. Once a colony has established itself the ants will begin chewing through the wood causing structural and sometimes superficial damage.

Carpenter ant treatments begin with a thorough inspection of the home and surrounding property. The purpose of the inspection is to locate the central and satellite colonies from where the carpenter ants are originating. Once these colonies are located they are spot treated giving immediate relief to the home. Then a full exterior and interior treatment is performed with safe and odorless residual insecticides to prevent future entry and nesting.

We offer prevention services for homes which have a chronic problem with carpenter ants. This service ensures that all colonies remain eliminated as well as preventing new colonies from beginning in or around your home.