Spring has sprung, which means the BBQ is uncovered, and the patio furniture is out. Finally, the sun is out, and we can be outdoors again!

While you were hibernating over the winter, you probably fantasized about spending time outside in non-hostile weather. In your imaginings, you may have forgot how many critters and pests also take to the outdoors.

Some of these pests sting or bite. Ants aren’t physically threatening, but they can infest structures and eat your food. They’re so tiny and seem harmless, but if you see one, you know there are many more nearby, and an infestation is not something to joke about. There are more than 700 ant species found across Canada and the US, and knowing more about the common ones you find will help keep them away.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the types of ant species you’ll find in Ontario this spring and learn how GreenLeaf Pest Control can help keep them away.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants don’t get their name because they’ll build you a table or set of shelves. Instead, they excavate wood and form smooth tunnels inside. To be sure, they don’t eat the wood, but they chew through it to make nests. They can bite people too, but it’s not dangerous.

Western black carpenter ant colonies contain between 10,000-20,000 workers when mature, and large colonies can number more than 50,000. Each colony usually has one functional but wingless queen. The colony needs two years to produce a swarmer, the name for the king and queen ants who leave the colony to mate and start a new one.

The colony produces the swarmers at the end of the first year, but they stay in their nest over the winter until the next year, appearing between May and August.

Carpenter ants are usually red or black, with six legs and an antenna. At just over half an inch, these little guys are found all over Canada. If you have a carpenter ant infestation, don’t hesitate to contact GreenLeaf Pest Control.

Our specialists will eliminate the problem before it grows even bigger and gets harder to manage. If you see debris pile up near small openings of wood, it could mean you have a carpenter ant infestation.

Wood that’s a little moist is easier for them to chew through, so damp or rotting wood can attract carpenter ants. Also, avoid having standing water outside, as carpenter ants need a water source to live, and this draws them in.

Our trained technicians will find the queen and uproot the infestation at the source. When you need ant exterminators in Toronto or the GTA, call GreenLeaf Pest Control.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants get their names because they live under the cracks in pavement or ground-level masonry walls. They also nest in walls, insulation, and underneath the floor. Outside, they tend to reside under stones, pavement cracks, and beside buildings.

While pavement ants don’t really pose a public health risk, they can contaminate food. In fact, they eat almost anything, from insects, seeds, honey, honeydew, breads, cheese, nuts, meats, and more. Pavement ants forage in trails for about 30 feet from the nest and even climb into masonry walls in occupied areas if it means finding food.

If you find Pavement ants have started an infestation on your property, call GreenLeaf Pest Control. It’ll only get harder to eliminate the longer they have to reproduce and make a home in yours.

For the leading ant exterminators in Toronto and the GTA, give us a call. Between the bricks in your home, stones on your pathways, or any outdoor decks that pavement ants might be drawn to, enjoy hanging out at home without worrying about trails of ants creeping around.

Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants get their name from the erroneous belief they were one of the 10 plagues of Egypt during the biblical times of the Pharaohs. Thought to hail from Africa, pharaoh ants are found across the US and Canada.

Pharaoh ants tend to have large colonies numbering in the thousands. If one colony is interrupted, members migrate to form new locations to establish new colonies in a process called “budding.”

Pharaoh ants eat sweets, proteins, oils, and other dead insects. They need water sources, like all creatures, but tend to nest in humid, warm settings near food. Knowing this helps with Pharaoh ant prevention, so try to clean up after meals and change your garbage regularly in the warmer months.

You can’t often see their nests because they’re located within wall voids, behind baseboards, under the floor, or in furniture. It may seem incredible, but inside dwellings, pharaoh ants use telephone cords or electric wires as a roadway to travel between the floorboards and through the walls.

Unlike other species of ants, pharaoh ants have been known to spread over a dozen disease pathogens, like Streptococcus pyogenes and salmonella. These ants can wreak havoc in hospitals, where they can get inside wounds or inside IV bottles. Grossest of all, they sometimes seek the moisture found inside the mouths of sleeping patients.

Hiring Toronto’s leading pest control company to come on the scene and inspect and treat for any pharaoh ants gives you peace of mind. You want to enjoy your spring and summer peacefully without wondering if an ant will creep into somebody’s mouth while they take a nap, or come and help themselves to the food on your table. If you already have ants on your property and need Pharaoh ant treatments, don’t hesitate to call GreenLeaf Pest Control.

Sure, ants aren’t going to hum around your ears or bite any exposed skin you may leave vulnerable. But they can potentially damage your property, contaminate your food, and, in general, just be a little icky. Whatever species of ant is infesting your home this spring, call GreenLeaf Pest Control to eliminate the problem right away.