Here’s what homeowners should look for as peak carpenter ant season approaches

A Montreal exterminator explains how to prevent and eliminate ant infestation as peak season approaches for the pests.

Exterminator Denny Andrade begins his treatment by drilling holes, the first step in creating an access point to reach carpenter ants.

This time of year is peak season in and around Montreal for the pest and homeowners should be on the lookout.

“Usually when you find them crawling on your house, crawling into the foundation, into a structure, like a window or door, that’s usually the sign that there’s a nest in the wall,” Andrade said.

Andrade then fills the holes with his commercial grade product that kills the carpenter ants. He says getting to the nest is key to solving the problem.

“A nest could take anywhere from three to five years to make a nest that has about 3,000 to 5,000 ants,” Andrade said. “When you start seeing a lot of ants inside your home, that’s a sign that the nest has been there minimum three years.”

Getting to the ants early enough can prevent structural damage. Carpenter ants build nests by digging into wood.

“What they do is they don’t eat the wood, they tunnel through the wood,” Andrade said. “Imagine that two by four, they just hollow it out. That structure starts to weaken, and it’ll collapse.”

This week, Andrade was working on the home of Michal Ohayon, who has been dealing with the problem for a few years. She tried other remedies, but couldn’t eliminate the ants.

“Look for it, look for signs. Do not wait. The longer you wait, the worse it is,” Ohayon said. “It’s like any other thing in the house. Invest in it. You have no choice. You’ve got to get rid of the problem.”

Exterminating the ants yourself might prove to be a challenge and Andrade says while you try different options, the ants keep on working.

“They can branch out and make a little nest somewhere else. They call them satellite nests so you could start having a satellite nest in another window, another door,” he said.

Andrade says preventing water damage is an important step to keep carpenter ants away from your home. Other tips include: sealing up holes in caulking and making sure there are no gaps for ants to crawl into.