Ant Control in Edmonton

Which ants are in my Edmonton home?

Most ant calls in Edmonton involve one of two groups: small pavement and odorous house ants that trail across kitchens looking for food, and large black carpenter ants that nest in damp wood. They need different treatments, so identification comes first.

Pavement ants nest under driveways, patios and foundation slabs and come in through cracks in the basement floor or along sill plates. They're especially active in May and June, when Edmonton's soil warms up. Odorous house ants leave a rotten-coconut smell when crushed and often nest in wall voids near moisture.

Carpenter ants are the ones to take seriously. They don't eat wood, but they excavate it to build nests, usually in wood that's already damp from a leaking roof, an ice dam, a bathroom leak or condensation around windows. Older homes in neighbourhoods like Highlands, Westmount and Bonnie Doon, and cottages and acreages with wood piles and old decks, see them most.

Pharaoh ants in Edmonton apartments and condos

Pharaoh ants are tiny (about 2 mm), pale yellow to light-brown ants that live entirely indoors in heated buildings. In Edmonton they're mostly a problem in apartments, condos, care homes and other multi-unit buildings, where colonies nest in warm wall voids and spread between suites along plumbing and wiring.

You'll usually notice them as thin trails of very small ants in a kitchen or bathroom, around sinks, counters, pet bowls and bathroom fixtures. Unlike pavement ants, they don't come in from outside in spring, so you can see them any month of the year, including the middle of winter.

Don't spray pharaoh ants. A pharaoh ant colony has many queens, and disturbing it with sprays or cleaners can make it split into several new colonies, a process called budding. Health Canada warns that spraying indoor trails can cause a colony to split, and recommends baits instead. Slow-acting baits that workers carry back to the nest, placed throughout the suite and ideally in neighbouring units too, are the reliable way to eliminate them.

Signs of carpenter ant damage

The clearest signs of carpenter ants are large black ants indoors in spring, winged ants near windows, small piles of coarse sawdust (frass) below wood, and faint rustling in walls. Damaged wood has smooth, clean galleries, not mud-filled tunnels.

• Frass (sawdust mixed with insect parts) under baseboards, window frames, decks and door trim
• Winged ants swarming indoors in late spring, which usually means a mature nest inside
• Ants appearing from the same spot every spring, often near a bathroom, kitchen or skylight
• Soft or hollow-sounding wood around past leaks, ice-dam damage or rotting deck posts

Carpenter ants almost always point to moisture. In Edmonton that's often ice dams on the roof in winter, condensation on poorly insulated window frames, or decks and fence posts sitting in wet soil. Fixing that moisture is part of the treatment.

Ant season in Edmonton

Ants start foraging indoors as soon as the ground thaws, usually in April. They peak in May and June, then ease off through July and August as colonies shift to outdoor food. Carpenter ant swarms are most common in late spring. Treat early in the season, before colonies grow.

Will ants come back after treatment?

Ants can return next spring if the colony survives outside or entry gaps stay open. Treating the colony with baits and sealing cracks and gaps greatly reduces repeat problems, and seasonal programs keep them in check year to year.

After a bait treatment, it's normal to see more ants for a few days as workers collect the bait and carry it back. Activity then drops sharply as the colony is affected. Pavement ant colonies under patios and driveways are long-lived and widespread in Edmonton neighbourhoods, so a new colony can move in later. That's why sealing the gaps along sill plates, slab cracks and door thresholds matters as much as the treatment itself.

How much does ant control cost in Edmonton?

Typical market prices for ant control in an Edmonton home range from about $150 to $350 for pavement or house ants. Carpenter ant treatments that involve finding nests in walls, decks or attics typically cost more.

Seasonal programs that cover ants, spiders and other summer pests are popular with homeowners who get ants every May. See typical pest control prices in Edmonton, or call (780) 262-3335 for an exact quote.

Tips while you wait for treatment

• Wipe up crumbs and sugary spills, and keep pet food bowls clean
• Don't spray trails with store-bought ant killer if baits are coming. It stops ants carrying bait back to the colony.
• Trim shrubs and branches touching the house, and keep firewood away from the walls
• Fix leaks and condensation that soften wood around windows and in bathrooms

Ants often show up alongside spiders in summer, since spiders follow the insects they eat. We treat ants across the region, including Spruce Grove and St. Albert.