Flying Ants or Flying Termites?

Flying ants are often confused for flying termites. It's an easy mistake to make if you are unsure of what to look for. It can also be helpful in knowing how to treat the problem since nobody wants flying, breeding bugs around the house! Both bug species grow wings in order to breed and are referred to as a "swarmer" but thankfully their anatomy differs quite a bit from each other allowing the distinction easier to identify.

For starters, ant antennae are bent as opposed to termite antennae, which is straight. An ant swarmer's body has a pinched, defined waist as opposed to the thick, straight waist of a termite swarmer. The wings of the ant are often uneven in length, white in color and stacked when spread open. A termite's wings, however, are typically even in length, yellowish in color and separated when spread open. 

If ever you find yourself in a situation where you are unsure of your type of swarmer, give us a call and we will do a complimentary evaluation for you. Make sure to keep a few swarmers or fallen wings in a small, lunch baggy so the inspector can see what your seeing to allow him to make further recommendations.

For additional questions about knowing the difference between flying ants and flying termites, feel free to give us a call at (951) 694-8100.

Summer Ant Control Tips

We can all agree that ants are a real nuisance this time of year as the temperatures heat up and colonies underground start feelin' the burn. Many ants will turn to the comfort of your own home to seek out food and moisture. Aside from keeping your trusty pest control company on speed dial during these summer months, here are some big helpful tips to keep the those little pests away!

First and foremost, after a pest control visit, ant activity may seem to get worse before it gets better. This is because if bait was used, the ants need time to carry the 'food' back to their colony in order to share, and this will be much more effective when wiping out the entire colony preventing future visitors of this particular colony. While it may be *extremely* difficult to avoid intervening with the invasion during this time, (DO NOT use your own Raid or pesticide to wipe them up right away) you need to let the bait work it's magic. After allowing the bait to be carried back by the ants over-night, carefully wipe down the counter with Windex the next day, which will remove any and all pheromones that the ants left behind so they won't be able to return. By this point, the colony should be wiped out and you can give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back! 

As you already know, ants are serious scavengers. It always helps stay ahead of an ant invasion by keeping crumbs swept up and pet kibble stored securely. We always advise buying plastic containers to store pet kibble so ants aren't attracted to the dry food. (Fun Fact: This will also double in preventing a rodent problem as well!) If you feed your pets outdoors and leave a bowl of kibble for them to graze on through out the day, we advise placing the food dish within a shallow bowl of water. This creates a moat around the food dish, making it impossible for ants to access the dry food within. We suspect that your pet will encounter less unwelcome guests to his or her dining experience when this method is used. 

In closing, if you have regular pest control service, just know that you have unlimited call backs in between services for reasons like ant invasions. We understand that regardless of taking ALL the preventative measures out there to avoid unwelcome pests, they can and will pop up every now and again. Please know that you are NEVER bothering us by requesting a callback visit, because will do whatever it takes to make sure you are living in a comfortable, pest-controlled environment. 

Attack of the Ants!

Blame the heat for the ant invasion! According to CBS8 News, "San Diego has been hit with scorching heat, humidity and rain all of which force ants inside, because they don't want to be out in the extreme temperatures." The heat has forced ant colonies to seek refuge inside homes, where they have access to food and water as well as cooler temperatures. Unfortunately the rain hasn't helped much either, causing the same invasive reaction from the six-legged pests. 

Many customers have asked us where they come from when they suddenly appear, uninvited, in your kitchens and bathrooms. Most of the time, they come up through the piping and drains. (Which is super inconvenient, if were being honest.) The best way to eradicate your ant problem is to eliminate their food source by wiping down your counters and keeping pantry items stored away. While sugar is their favorite delicacy, ants are omnivorous which means they will eat whatever edible substance they can find. We understand that no matter how immaculate your home is, ants may still appear in hopes to scavenger something to bring back to their colony. While we can't speak for all ants species, the Argentine ants are the most common within the Southern California region. These are the little black ants that you commonly see crawling around on sidewalks. 

We have been very busy this week responding to ant calls and helping our customers out where we can. Having a pest control service in place is ideal for sporadic heat waves, such as this one, where follow up sprays are complimentary for our customers in between their regular services. We have a couple of different ways of eradicating ant problems (all which are covered under our general pest control services!) so give us a call today and we can partner you with a technician (Erm...hero! Minus the cape.) who can save you from your ant situation.  

The Bullet Ant

Parponera Clavata

aka "Bullet Ant"

Thought you had an ant problem? Try living in the Amazonian Forest and having to deal with Bullet Ants. If your living in Nicaragua, Honduras, Paraguay or Costa Rica you know just what kind of ant I am talking about. The Bullet Ant is also known as the 24hour Ant which describes the lasting pain after a sting. A sting from the Bullet Ant can leave its victim weak, swollen and wiped out. In question to whether or not a Bullet Ant can kill a human is most likely only if the victim has an allergic reaction to the bite  or not.

Be Warned

The Bullet Ant will never attack unless provoked. They will first release a strong odor to serve as a warning before it will attack. While they are intimidating they will warn you first, don't say I didn't tell you so.

Tribe Rituals

Some native tribes use the Bullet Ants in initiation ceremonies for bringing young men into adulthood. The elders of the tribe first gather many of the ants and sedate them with a drug to make them drowsy long enough to place them into large woven mitts. Next, the young males must wear the mitts filled with the angry waking Bullet Ants for 10 minutes. They must endure the continuing pain of the bites for at least the next 24hours.  This ritual is done a total of 20 times in order to bring the young men into adulthood. Good thing we do not have Bullet ants here in the states!

Just Plain Ants

While you probably don't have a problem with angry Bullet Ants on your hands you may have a pesky plain ant problem taking over your kitchen, and if that is the case you need a Professional to help you with that. Call Black Knight Pest Control and ask about our Ant Control Service. We have a plan that will work for you!