Archive for the ‘Ants’ Category

Bathroom & Home Invaded by Carpenter Ants

We recently had a call about carpenter ants appearing in a homeowners bathroom and else where. So we decided to take along the video camera and get some footage for you all to see as we went about a  ant control service call.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here in Oregon almost all of the ant species and the two termite species rely on an exact combination of atmospheric conditions to time their mating flights. In Beaverton, Tigard, and Tualatin these flights are earlier than in Hillsboro or the West Hills of Portland. Even 500 ft. of elevation changes the frost dates and the insect activity cycles.

The ant colonies produce winged reproductives in the nests and nurture them until the time is right to do their mating flight. I have observed that the right conditions to include calm winds, strong sunlight to provide strong thermal updrafts, and relatively cool temps, again to help with the thermal updrafts.

In Beaverton, Tigard, and Tualatin these thermals can be generated by a dark roof or an asphalt paved cul de sac. The technicians at Nature First Pest Control often comment to me about the diferent activity levels of insects and rodents on different facing slopes that have differing amounts of sun exposure. For the termites and ants ongoing survival, timing is everything. Successful exterminators know about these natural cycles in their areas

Click To Enlarge

  Read the rest of this entry »

I was visiting with a client the other day here in Portland. He had a carpenter ant problem by his back door. The large ants were appearing regularly inside the house when the sun came out. I was puzzled by their presence in this location. There were none of the usual contributing factors like vegetation, trees touching, or bark dust too high. This was a concrete stoop and sidewalk connecting to the back door. I dropped to my hands and knees and noticed a gap behind the step next to the house. I then realized that this area had a south west exposure. This meant that this area receives a lot of driving rain. Bingo!!

We have added a video to this post to show you the type of damage Randy is talking about. Click the link below to see the rest of the post and the video.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is what a typical pile of ‘frass’ looks like.

(click the pic for larger image)

A frass is the ant colonys’ garbage dump and it contains some sawdust. It also contains ant pieces as well as ant cocoon pieces and egg case parts (the white chunks). Many salesmen wouldn’t know what this is. These ‘experts’ often point to some sawdust left from construction and tell the homeowner their house is being destroyed.

We are your natural choice when looking for organic residential and commercial Pest Controls for Ants, Rodents, Wasps, Hornets, Spiders, Grain Beetles, Bats, and more. We need no ‘long term contracts’ to be the elimination experts. Serving Portland, Beaverton, Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Milwaukie, Gresham, Hillsboro, Canby, Oregon City Forrest Grove, Portland, and all of Washington and Multnomah counties.

Give Us A Call At 503-579-3680

I am continually educating home owners about the futility of using of the commercially available ant bait stations, or ‘ant traps’ as they are called. I have yet to find a ‘trap’ for sale in stores that works here in the Pacific North Wet. IMHO, these were designed to be marketed and used in California and are unsuitable here. And to make matters worse, the homeowner is usually using some kind of spray near the stations. The spray could be a soap, window cleaner, or flower oils. If the station ever had any chance of working, forget it, these sprays ruin them.

We offer advanced bait technologies not available in stores. When combined with the right environment modifications and minimal exterior sprays, we can guarantee our results. Our knowledge of the ant species in this marine sub climate is critical to our success with ants.

Your natural choice when looking for organic residential and commercial Pest Controls for Ants, Rodents, Wasps, Hornets, Spiders, Grain Beetles, Bats, and more. We need no ‘long term contracts’ to be the elimination experts. Serving Portland, Beaverton, Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Milwaukie, Gresham, Hillsboro, Canby, Oregon City Forrest Grove, Portland, and all of Washington and Multnomah counties.

Telephone
503-579-3680
Mailing address
12625 SW Katherine St., Tigard, OR 97223
Electronic mail
General Information and Customer Support:
Email: Click here To Email

What We do and What to Expect

 A little background on Carpenter ants is in order.

First, they do not eat wood. They hollow out sound wood and introduce moisture into the wood, if the moisture is not already there. This hollowing you can see in the video below.

Read the rest of this entry »