Proudly Serving Northern New Jersey, Rockland County & Manhattan

Call Us Right Now:973.839.6228

Abarb Pest Services
Get My Free Estimate

Tag: Ants

Categories
Ants

What Should I Do If My Home Has a Carpenter Ant Problem?

What Should I Do If My Home Has a Carpenter Ant Problem?

Having a long line of ants marching into your home can be quite annoying as they crowd around tiny spill drops of sugary drinks or a drip of honey you weren’t even aware was on your countertops. But to have a steady stream of carpenter ants marching along your floors carries a whole different level of concern. While carpenter ants do not eat wood the way that termites do, they can still cause a lot of damage to your home because they make their burrows inside the wooden beams, effectively weakening the structure over time. The presence of carpenter ants in your home is more than an annoyance and the sooner you eliminate the problem, the less damage will be done to your home. If you see or suspect a carpenter ant problem in your home already, the best line of defense is to call in a professional to eliminate every last one of them from the property.

Identifying carpenter ants

Compared to other common ants, carpenter ants are quite large. If you see a trail of ants winding through your halls, the size alone will cause you to pause. Carpenter ants are often solid black or brown. Some carpenter ants can have red heads and thorax, while their abdomens are black. The ants should be easily seen in the home if they are present. If you are able to identify ants in the home and you think they may be carpenter ants, following their trail to see where they are going could be crucial in finding their nests. To eradicate a carpenter ant problem, the queen and all the eggs must also be eliminated, not just the ants you see looking for food in your kitchen.

If you see an ant-like bug with wings, you may be looking at a carpenter ant or possibly a termite. Look closely at the antennae. The ant will have an elbowed antenna while a termite will have a straight, unbent antenna. Ants also have two sets of wings that vary in length while termites have two sets of wings that are both the same length. Regardless if it is a carpenter ant or a termite, your home could sustain a good amount of damage from these tiny creatures. Time is of the essence when it comes to keeping your home intact while avoiding thousands of dollars worth of repairs to be done.

What attracts carpenter ants?

Carpenter ants make their nests in wood that is wet or moist. Leaks or even high humidity that allows the wood to soften with moisture is the perfect scenario to draw a colony of carpenter ants into your home.

What to do if you think you have carpenter ants

  1. Identify the bug. It is good to know if it is a carpenter ant or a termite
  2. Follow the trail to find where in the house the nest may be
  3. Look for leaks or moisture in your home and fix it
  4. Call a professional pest control service to eliminate the carpenter ants

If you are in Passaic County and are looking for a professional to eliminate your carpenter ant problem, give the friendly, experienced team at Abarb Pest Services a call today.

Categories
Ants

3 Signs You Have a Carpenter Ant Infestation

3 Signs You Have a Carpenter Ant Infestation

Finding a trail of ants in your home can certainly be a nuisance and difficult to eradicate. But one type of ant that goes above and beyond just being a bother is the carpenter ant. These wood burrowing insects can cause real damage to your home’s structure. Being able to identify a carpenter quickly is crucial to preventing the destruction being done to your home. 3 signs that you have a carpenter ant infestation are the physical appearance of the ants, finding shed wings on outdoor window sills, and finding sawdust under certain places in the house. Knowing what to look for will help you identify the carpenter ants and know when to call in a professional to eliminate the ants from your home.

Large, black, or black and red ants

One good thing about carpenter ants is that they are much larger than your average ant. The size alone will cause you to take note if you see a trail of busy, bustling ants marching across your kitchen floor. Carpenter ants are often solid black or brown. Some carpenter ants can have red heads and thorax, while their abdomens are black. The ants should be easily seen in the home if they are present. But do not ignore them for being a typical ant who is just after a drop of honey. Carpenter ants can do extensive damage to your home.

Shed wings near windows

Like termites, swarmer carpenter ants have wings and if they have decided to enter your home, you will find their discarded wings on or around outdoor window sills. This may not be a sign you go looking for because the wings will only be around for a short period of time. But if you are outside and you happen upon a pile of insect wings, investigate further because if it turns out to not be carpenter ants, it is likely to be a termite infestation.

Piles of wood under baseboards, window sills, and door jams

Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood, but instead, they burrow down into the wood to create nests. This burrowing will eventually weaken the structure of your home, causing extensive and costly damage.  As the ants burrow into the wood, they kick out the wood shavings they have just created. If you notice sawdust piles under wooden furniture, under baseboards, window sills, or near door jams, take note that you may have a carpenter ant infestation.

Differences between ants and termites

Carpenter ants and termites can have overlapping signs such as the shed wings and piles of sawdust in the home. Termites leave piles of excrement behind but because they eat wood, the droppings resemble wood fibers. To distinguish between termites and carpenter ants, look at their waists, wings, and antennae.

  • Ants have a  pinched waist while termites bodies go straight back from their heads
  • Ant wings are in two sets with the top set longer than the bottom. Termites also have two sets of wings but both sets are similar in size.
  • Ants have bent or elbowed antennae while termites’ antennae are straight.

If you suspect you have carpenter ants in your home in Northern New Jersey, do not hesitate to give Abarb Pest Services a call today.

Categories
Ants

Ant Control in Passaic County

Ant Control in Passaic County

When ants find their way into your house, it can be quite difficult getting rid of them. Ants, of course, do not travel alone and once they have located a food source, they zone in and do not forget to let all their fellow ants know exactly where to find the treats. In Passaic County, if you develop an ant problem, do not hesitate to call in the professional to eradicate the ants from the premises. Ant control experts will treat the inside and outside of your home so that the ants never again march through your kitchen in search of your food.

Treatment for ants

Once ants have entered your Passaic County home, all the sweeping and cleaning will not dissuade the ants from continuing to come inside in search of food. A pest professional will be able to address where the ants are coming from and even prevent them from coming into your yard altogether.

After eliminating the ants that are in your home, an ant control expert will begin treating the mounds that are outside of the house. Many times, the ants inside can be traced to a particular mound in the yard. Once the mound is eliminated, an experienced pest control technician will spray a barrier around the perimeter of the home, so the ants will never be close enough to find a new way into your Passaic County home.

Making sure no wood eating insects are on the property

When the pest professional inspects the home, they will make sure to identify the type of ants that are invading. By making sure the ants are not either carpenter ants or termites, which are sometimes confused with ants, you will at least be reassured that your home will not end up as insect food any time soon. If you see ants in your home and want to make sure they are not harmful to the structure of your house, here are some identification tips:

  • Carpenter ants are large, black or brown ants. In some cases, the ants have red heads and thoraxes but black abdomens
  • Carpenter ants and termites leave behind small piles of wood shavings or excrement resembling sawdust
  • Carpenter ants and termites leave discarded wings on outdoor window sills before entering your home
  • Termites have straight antennae, not elbowed or bent antennae like ants
  • Ants have two sets of wings with the top set longer than the lower set, while termites have two sets the same length
  • Both can cause severe damage to a home if left undiscovered

While ants are a nuisance and difficult to get rid of, they are mostly harmless. If you have a persistent ant problem or are not sure if you have carpenter ants or even termites, call Abarb Pest Services to inspect and treat your home for any insect that has invaded your property.

Categories
Ants

What Should I Do if I Have an Ant Problem in My Kitchen?

What Should I Do if I Have an Ant Problem in My Kitchen?

Ants can commonly be seen marching up tree trunks or across the yard with persistence and precision. But if a trail of ants shows up in your kitchen, knowing how to address an indoor ant problem can be difficult. Killing the ants you see will not prevent the multitude of ants who continue to stream back into your home through their decided route. Discovering what is drawing the ants into your home and where their nest is located are two big factors that can help you eliminate your big ant problem in your kitchen. You can work to prevent ants from wanting to come in, but if the ants continue to invade your home, calling in a pest professional can exterminate these persistent pests immediately.

Basic prevention

Keeping a tidy home is the best way to keep ants out of your house.  To prevent ants from entering your kitchen:

  • Use an all purpose cleaner to wipe down surfaces and countertops.
  • Sweep up crumbs or use a wet rag to wipe up sticky spots from surgery drink spills or honey.
  • Caulk around windows and door frames. Ants can enter through tiny cracks so checking for small entry points will help keep ants from coming in.
  • Keep food in airtight containers.
  • Spray white vinegar around possible entry points to deter ants from entering.

What attracts ants?

Ants use pheromones to leave a scent trail for all their fellow ants to find and follow. If they find something they want to eat, such as sugar, honey, or fruit, they will soon set up a trail along your kitchen floor or even across the wall to the source of food. But it isn’t just a matter of not dropping crumbs on the floor of your kitchen. Other places in your kitchen that can also attract ants are:

  • Leaky pipes under the sink, or constant wetness around the refrigerator ice dispenser can attract ants.
  • If you have indoor pets, you may feed your pets in the kitchen, essentially leaving out food for ants.
  • If you have stored food that is not in airtight containers, like a cereal box, for example, ants may find the ultimate food source in your pantry.

If ants have already established a desire to be in your homes and closing up entry points fails to stop the ants from entering, a trusted pest professional can easily treat the ants in and around your home so they no longer become a problem inside your house. By eliminating ant nests or mounds, an ant control service can stop the flow of ants into your home. For northern New Jersey residents, a name you can trust to eliminate every last ant from your residence is Abarb Pest Services. Give Abarb Pest Services a call today.

Categories
Ants Bed Bugs Bees & Wasps Mosquitoes Pest Control Spiders Termites

Who Is The Best Pest Control Company in Passaic County?

Who Is The Best Pest Control Company in Passaic County?

Knowing who to call when you are in need can be calming in a stressful situation. Seeing a small skittering critter scramble across your floor can send your anxiety level through the roof. All you are thinking is that you want that pest gone and you want the best pest control service you can find to ensure you never see another unwelcome creature in your home again. In Passaic County, searching for the best pest control service comes down to experience, professionalism, and which services are provided.

What kind of pests should I expect this summer

As the season heats up, you may notice an increase in a few pests. Rodents, like mice and rats, may have sought shelter in or near your home over the cold winter. It is very possible that, unless you eradicate the infestation, the mice may still be present but they will be more active out and about instead of in your home. Other pests, however, are ready to make some serious gains over these warm months with the resources in your home.

  • Ants can be around all year long but as soon as the winter stores are depleted, the ants are ready to start stocking up for the next winter. You may find them more frequently in your kitchen and bathroom looking for sugary spills or crumbs to take back to their mound. Keep a sharp eye out for a bigger, dark red or black ant trailing along your walls. This could be the destructive Carpenter ant that can cause structural damage to your house.
  • Mosquitoes start coming out as soon as the weather starts to turn warm. They bite and cause itchy welts and can even transmit harmful diseases.
  • Termites become more active as the temperature rises. Activity for termites involves eating and laying more eggs which translates to a bigger infestation and more damage done to your home.
  • Bed bugs feast on blood at night while their hosts sleep. They are notoriously difficult to eradicate because they hide well and can also latch on to clothing or climb into bags to spread to a new location.
  • Wasps seem to start building their nests in the corner of your porch or eaves as soon as there are a few warm days back to back. Wasps eat nectar so as soon as the flowers begin to bloom, you can see these stinging bugs buzzing around your home.

If you have seen any of the above critters crawling around your home or buzzing around your property, hiring the best pest control company in Passaic County will eliminate the problem before it gets out of hand.

Experience and professionalism

When it comes to some of the most stubborn and difficult pests, like bed bugs and termites, you want a professional with experience who will be friendly and helpful to communicate with as well as do a stellar job at getting those pests out of the house and off of the premises.

For Passaic County, there is one choice for the best pest control service that provides excellent customer satisfaction and has four decades of experience in eliminating pest problems in the community. Abarb Pest Services knows how to get rid of pests and bring peace of mind back to Passaic County residents.