Termites

Termite Pest Control Sydney

 

Need termite control?

 

Termite Pest Control Sydney

Termites also known as white ants are small and a similar in size to ants. Due to their size and similarities to ants this can often lead to confusion. Knowing the differences between these two pests is a good starting point for identification.

Termites are secretive in nature which makes their detection difficult to an untrained eye. Most people would be more likely to spot the signs of termite damage rather than the actual termites.

Correct identification ensures the most effective treatment methods are used and allows you the home or business owner to choose appropriate prevention steps to try and avoid termite infestations in the future.

What Do Termites Look Like?

Do termites really look like ants?

 

Termite Pest Control Sydney

Termite alates or swarmers can look like flying ants. There is a simple way to determine if the flying ants you are seeing are termites or flying ants, and this is simply by how many body sections there are. As seen in the image below – Termite alates have 2 body sections while standard flying ants have 3.

Termite Pest Control Sydney
Termite Pest Control Sydney

Here’s how to establish the general differences in appearance and behaviour between ants and termites:

  • Termites have a straight waist, ants have a pinched waist.
  • Straight antennae, ants have bent antennae.
  • Their wings are the same length, ants have wings of different length.

NOTE: Flying ants do not shed their wings. If you have seen flying ants in your property and have found discarded wings,chances are you have identified termites in your property.

Termite Pest Control Sydney
Discarded Termite Wings

Termite Pest Control Sydney – How can termite damage be identified?

 

Rather than just looking at the areas where visible damage has been identified, Pest Control Today confirms termite infestations with a visual inspection and the use of a termatrac system.

When checking your property whether it be your residential home or business there are some points that could assist you in identifying possible termite activity.

Subterranean termites begin their feeding process from the ground up and enter a building through the sub-structure. Houses that are built on concrete slabs can still be affected if the slab has cracked and allowed an opening from the soil through the slab to the house.

Houses that have an open access sun floor or crawl space are at a great risk of termite infestations. This area should be checked for evidence of wood damage and/or mud tubes.

This species of termite damages the wood by developing hollow tunnels known as galleries which run along the wood grain.

Drywood termites usually enter the building near the roof line or in areas where wood has been exposed. Attics and roof cavities should be checked for wood that has been damaged. You may see tiny holes in the wood with collected frass nearby. Probing the wood can also expose galleries

I have found termites, what do I do?

 

Finding termites in your home can be distressing, however Pest Control Today recommends firstly that you stay calm and call a professional. Do not disturb any termite workings, mud trails, leads of galleries and we ask that you do not spray the area with any insecticides as it can be make treatment harder.

How are termites treated?

 

Not all building structures are the same Pest Control Today will offer you a program designed to suit your properties needs.

There are 2 ways to treat termites, baiting/dusting or direct chemical treatment. Sometimes a combination of both treatments will be required or recommend.

Baiting or Dusting

 

Termite baiting

is conducted by placing bait stations in specific areas around your home which are baited using a non-chemical bait that contains an active ingredient which the termites eat and carry back to the colony where they share it amongst other termites in the nest.

Termite Dusting

is completed using Termidor Dust which is a non-repellent which is very similar to the material used in the bait systems. Small holes are made into the infested timber or directly on termite trails. The fine dust is applied directly to the termites and the holes are then covered which prevents any dust escaping and to also reduce the risk of the termites being disturbed.

NOTE: Termite dusting & baiting does not provide protection to the building from future termite infestations.

Chemical Application

 

Termite Soil Treatment

Preferred option by many pest controllers however its use does depend on the construction type of your property. The treatment is applied to soil areas where the building is in contact with:

  • Subfloor
  • Concrete slab perimeters
  • External wall perimeters.

If there is a distance greater than 400mm between the soil and the timbers in the floor, the subfloor would also be trenched and treated, however it is preferred that the entire sub floor area is treated which increases the coverage area in the subfloor which in then increases the chance of the termites encountering the chemical.

Drilling & Injection of chemical to the concrete perimeters occur approximately at 20-30cm intervals. The drilled holes are then re concreted on completion

The areas that may need to be drilled and injected can include:

  • Patios
  • Paths
  • Garage
  • Fireplaces
  • Bathrooms
  • Laundries
  • External Perimeter Walls

What types of soil treatments are there for termites?

 

There are 2 main types of soil treatment available, the repellent and the non-repellent.

Repellent

This type of termiticide works by creating a barrier around the house which create a no-go zone for termites. For this treatment to be effective it needs to be applied in an unbroken method around the foundations. This method is often difficult to achieve simply because of the construction and design of your property or if there Is concrete against the house.

Non-repellent

This type of termiticide works as termites are unable to detect the area that has been treated and will not avoid the treated area. When termites pass through the chemical in the treated area they become in contact with it, return to the nest and pass it amongst the other termites in the colony.

Pest Control Today Recommendations

 

Termite Pest Control Sydney
DO NOT
  • Disturb any termite workings, leads, galleries.
  • Spray termite infested area with any chemical.
  • Plant trees or plants close to the house.
  • Add mulch or any type of bark to the gardens too close to the property.
  • Cover weep holes in brickwork.
  • Allow soil to build up over the edge of the slabs.
  • Place plastic or newspaper on gardens.
  • Allow moisture or dampness to build up in the sub floor as poor sub-floor drainage will attract termites.

If you notice or worried about possible termite activity do not hesitate to seek professional assistance.

You should check the following areas on a regular basis
  • Timber frames inside the home
  • Fences
  • Blistered paint on the walls
  • Bulging or rippled walls
  • Timber joints or gyp-rock walls for mud packing
  • Foundation walls, piers and edges of concrete slabs for termite mud galleries
  • Form-work timbers beneath suspended concrete patios

Remove any:

  • Stored timber or cardboard that is contact with the ground in the sub-floor
  • Timber stored alongside the house & kept as far away from the house as possible

Common misconceptions about termites

 

Myth: Termite damage can be easily seen

Fact: As termites eat wood from the inside out a new termite infestation would not have any visual signs that can be easily seen. By the time damage is noticed on the outside of the wood, extensive damage could have already occurred.

Myth: Termites are more active during spring and summer

Fact: Termites are active all year round.

Myth:  Preventing termites is hard

Fact: Termite prevention is a matter of common sense and regular home maintenance such as

  • Keeping gutters clean of debris
  • Removing dead trees and their stumps
  • Removing fallen branches
  • Keeping timber and firewood off the ground and away from your home.
  • Fixing water leaks in and around your home
  • Having your home inspected annually by a timber pest expert. Click here to read more about termite inspections.

Pest Control Today highly recommends annual Termite Inspections.

 

Pest Control Today SydneyEach property, building and location is different, a customised management solution should be designed to suit your specific needs.

We would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call or  contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

Pest Control Today

Spiders

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Redback Spider Pest Control Sydney | Hunstman Spider Pest Control Sydney| Funnel Web Spider Pest Control Sydney | White Tail Spider Pest Control Sydney | Mouse Spider Pest Control Sydney | Brown House Spider Pest Control Sydney | Trap Door Spider Pest Control Sydney | St Andrews Cross Pest Control Sydney

Need Pest Control for spiders?

 

Spiders are one of the most feared and disliked creatures worldwide. Australia is home to some of the world’s deadliest spiders such as the funnel-web and red back spider.

It must be stated that not all spiders are dangerous, and some are beneficial to the environment.

Spiders can be divided into two main groups:

  • Ground/crawling or Hunting spiders
  • Webbing Spiders

Common Spiders Found in Sydney

The most common spiders that can be found in sydney are

To view the Australia Spider Identification chart – Please click here 

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The Red Back Spider

The red back spider can be found across all parts of Australia and will live anywhere there is adequate food, a sheltered area for its web and is warm enough for breeding. The Red Back Spider is easily recognised by its black body with a prominent red hourglass shape on its abdomen.

 Appearance

  • The female is about 1cm in length & the male can range from 3-4mm in length
  • The female is black (sometimes brown) with a distinctive red or orange marking on its back
  • Markings may be broken into spots in front
  • White lines may be visible
  • The female can grow up to 15mm long.
  • Males are very small and usually only grow up to 5mm long
  • The male has more complex markings than those of the female
  • White and yellow markings may also be seen on the male

Habitat

  • Can be found in logs or under rocks
  • They tend to reside in dark, dry areas.
  • They can also be seen in roof eaves floorboards, toilets, shelves, flower pots, garages or sheds
  • Their web is a triangle shape of dry silk
  • Trap lines are sticky which assist in catching prey
  • Red back spiders are carnivorous eating almost any small insects that are caught in their webs.
  • They are known to also eat skinks and even juvenile mice, snakes and frogs
  • The red back spider rarely leaves its web

Spider Pest Control SydneySpider Pest Control Sydney


The Huntsman Spider

Huntsman spiders are known as being the “hairy tarantulas”. They are often seen inside your home on the walls or from coming out from behind curtains.

 

Appearance

  • Mostly brown, black and grey in colour
  • The body length of the male is 1.6cm and the female has a body length of 2cm
  • Their legs can span up to 15cm
  • The back legs are shorter than the front legs
  • Their legs span out sideways allowing them to walk both forward and sideways

Habitat

  • Can be found on tree trunks, under stones, under bark, on the windows and walls inside your home.
  • Can also enter cars & run across the dashboards
  • Can live between hairline cracks, sandstone and granite outcrops
  • Feeds on a variety of insects, small lizards and frogs
  • Stalks and run down its prey
  • Poisonous to humans but not fatal

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The Funnel Web Spider

The Sydney Funnel-web Spider is one of the deadliest spiders in the world. When the funnel web is threatened it raises its front legs high off the ground and point its fangs forward ready to strike. When it strikes it drives its fangs down with force and speed.

Appearance

  • The cephalothorax is hairless and appears smooth and glossy black
  • Black, brown or purplish abdomen
  • Body and legs are covered with fine hairs
  • The male has more slender legs
  • The male has a spur on the 3rd part of the 2nd leg
  • The male is 20mm in length & Female is 30mm in length

Habitat

  • Prefer forested areas
  • Private gardens
  • They build silk-lined burrow under a rock or log
  • The burrow can be up to 60cm long
  • The burrow has 2 entrances
  • The burrow entrance has thicker lines of silk radiating from the entrance to form trip-lines
  • They are attracted to water
  • Can be found in your swimming pool

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The White Tail Spider

White-tailed Spiders can be found all over Australia and its bites cause severe skin ulceration in humans. White-tailed spiders hunt their prey instead of waiting to catch it in a web. Their preferred diet is other spiders

Appearance

  • Medium sized spider
  • Male body length is 12mm & Female body length is 20mm
  • Long cigar-shaped dark grey abdomen
  • The abdomen is grey and has two pairs of faint white spots
  • A distinct white or cream spot can be seen at the tip of the abdomen just above the spinnerets.
  • The legs are brown or reddish brown in colour.
  • They are slow moving spiders
  • They travel great distances looking for prey
  • Mostly active at night.

Habitat

  • Cool dark areas
  • They often come into houses
  • They are sometimes found in the folds of clothes, towels and shoes.
  • They live beneath bark and rocks
  • In leaf litter
  • Logs
  • Detritus in bush
  • Gardens
  • Houses

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The Mouse Spider

There are 11 known species of mouse spider in Australia and they are related to the trapdoor and the Sydney funnel web spider. Mouse spiders should be considered dangerous and treated with caution as they can be aggressive and will bite if provoked.

Appearance

  • Dark brown or black in colour
  • medium to large spiders located at the rear of the abdomen
  • Their size varies between 10-35mm with the male being smaller than the female
  • High, bulbous heads and jaws
  • The carapace is smooth and shiny
  • The eyes are spread across the front of the carapace
  • The spinnerets are short, the last segment domed and button-like
  • Male spiders have long slender pedipalps
  • Male spiders have no mating spurs on the legs
  • Males of some species have distinctive colour markings, but others are black overall

Habitat

  • Can be found in both coastal and drier habitats throughout Australia
  • Live in burrows in soil covered with a hinged top
  • Large, silk-lined burrows can vary from 20 cm to 55 cm deep
  • They create two surface trapdoors, at right angles to each other
  • Difficult to see as the silk and soil trapdoors merge well with the soil
  • Heavy rain often forces them out of their burrows

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The Brown House Spider

The brown house spider is sometimes mistaken for the red back spider as it has a similar body shape and webbing. It can often be found in dark places inside your home. External sheds, under empty plant pots or among general rubbish.

Appearance

  • The female can grow up to 1.2cm and the male being slightly smaller
  • Mottled cream to brown in colour
  • The legs are reddish brown and are shiny and thin
  • Legs can span up to 25mm
  • Spider but does not inflict a dangerous bite.
  • Web may include a curled leaf as a retreat for the spider.

Habitat

  • Builds untidy, tangled webs
  • Webs can be found on walls, under eaves, around garage doors and among leaves on trees and shrubs.
  • Undisturbed dark areas are ideal for this spider
  • In a cupboard signs of a brown house spider could be white specs of spider droppings

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


The Trap Door Spider

Most trapdoor spiders are misleadingly named, as not all species make a door for their burrows. Their camouflaged entrances are almost undetectable, unless the door is open. Brown Trapdoor Spiders are often mistaken for Funnel-web spiders, but their bites are not dangerous. Local pain and swelling may occur.

Appearance

  • Medium to large spider
  • female larger than the male
  • Female size 35mm and the male is 20mm in length
  • The female has a stocky build
  • Short, blunt spinnerets
  • There are often pale bars across the abdomen
  • Dull brown to black in colour
  • Males have boxing glove shaped palps at the front of the head
  • Hairs cover the body and legs

Habitat

  • Spends most of the time in their burrows
  • They wait for food by the front of their burrows
  • Burrows are lined with silk
  • The burrow can be as long as 25cm and approx. 25mm in width
  • Silk trip lines radiate from the burrow entrance
  • Burrows are used for protection and raising young
  • The burrow is made wider and longer as the spider grows

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Spider Pest Control Sydney


St Andrews Cross Spider

The St Andrews cross spider can be found across Australia and is named because of the silky bluish white cross pattern it creates on its web, like that of the St Andrews Cross on the flag of Scotland.

Appearance

  • The Female is 10 – 16 mm in body length
  • The male is 3-4mm in body length
  • Females abdomen is banded silver, yellow, red and black with 2 yellow stripes below
  • Sits with its legs in pairs
  • The males are brown and cream coloured
  • The web is a medium-sized orb
  • The spiderlings are cream-coloured

Habitat

  • Can be found on Low shrubby vegetation both during the day and night
  • Suburban gardens
  • Rainforest margins
  • Males build smaller webs close to the female

Spider Pest Control Sydney

Pest Control Today SydneyEach property, building and location is different, a customised management solution should be designed to suit your specific needs.

We would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call or  contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

Pest Control Today

 

Silverfish

Silverfish Pest Control Sydney

Need pest Control For silverfish?

 

Silverfish are known for their destructive feeding habits and prefer to live in warm and moist spaces, like basements, crawl spaces and can often be found in the bathroom or laundry. They can survive in almost any environment and are nocturnal pests that move quickly.

Silverfish have been known to stain the items they hide in such as books, cupboards, stored clothing and wall paper.

What do silverfish look like?

Silverfish Pest Control Sydney

 

Silverfish are white to brown-grey or a blue – silvery colour, their bodies are shaped like a teardrop and range from 12-19 mm in length. They have 3 long bristles on their rear end.

 

 

Where do silverfish live?

 

Silverfish are capable of surviving in all climates, however they do prefer to live in dark & damp areas such as basements, kitchens, bathrooms & attic spaces. They are attracted to paper goods and damp clothing. Silverfish can be found in stored boxes that are kept in sheds or garages.

What do silverfish eat?

 

As silverfish like to dine on anything and everything they have been known to feed on paper, clothing and even wall paper. They feed on carbohydrates, sugars and starch. It is suspected that silverfish will also feed on shampoo, glue in books, linen & dead insects. Silverfish have also been found in unopened food packages.

How did I get Silverfish?

 

Silverfish are usually introduced to the home by carrying them in either by cardboard boxes or plastic containers which had been stored in infested areas.

They usually enter homes through cracks in the foundation, torn fly or door screens, gaps around doors. Leaving dirty dishes out in the open will also attract silverfish indoors.

What issues can silverfish cause?

 

Silverfish have been linked to:

  • Allergies
  • Attract other pests
  • Damage to personal items

Silverfish Pest Control Sydney

Pest Control Today SydneyEach property, building and location is different, a customised management solution should be designed to suit your specific needs.

We would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call or  contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

Pest Control Today

Bees & Wasps

Bee and Wasp Pest Control Sydney

Bee and Wasp Pest Control SydneyBee Pest Control Sydney  –  Wasp Pest Control Sydney

Need Pest Control For bees or wasps?

 

Bee and Wasp Pest Control SydneyIs this a bee or a wasp? 

 

Wasps and bees can easily be mistaken for one another because both insects can give painful stings and look very similar with their black and yellow colouring.

Bees usually attack when provoked, while wasps are naturally and more aggressive predators.

Identifying the difference between honey bees and wasps is important to administer proper treatment of stings and to ensure the appropriate pest control is carried out.

Bee and Wasp Pest Control Sydney

 

What are the differences between a bee and a wasp?

Bee Pest Control Sydney
Bee Pest Control

Bees

  • Fat little body
  • Round thorax
  • Fuzzy
  • Hairy
  • Robust
  • Flat legs
  • Wide legs
  • Loose stinger
  • Geometric Wax hives
  • Less Aggressive
Wasp Pest Control Sydney
Wasp Pest Control

Wasps

  • Slender body
  • Cylindrical body
  • Fidgeting
  • Smooth body
  • Smooth legs
  • Waxy legs
  • Multiple stinging capabilities
  • Papery nests
  • More aggressive

 Bees : For more detailed information please click links below

Bee and Wasp Pest Control Sydney
 

Bee Pest Control Sydney
Common Bee
 

Common Bee

 

Bee Pest Control Sydney
Honey Bee
 

 

Honey Bee

Wasps : For more detailed information please click links below

Bee and Wasp Pest Control Sydney

Wasp Pest Control Sydney
European Wasp
European Wasp
 

Wasp Pest Control Sydney
Killer Wasp
 

 

Killer Wasp

 

Wasp Pest Control Sydney
Paper Wasp
 

 

Paper Wasp

 

Wasp Pest Control Sydney
Mud Dauber Wasp
 

 

Mud Dauber Wasp

Bee and Wasp Pest Control SydneyEach property, building and location is different, a customised management solution should be designed to suit your specific needs.

We would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call or contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

Bee and Wasp Pest Control Sydney

Bed Bugs

Bed bug Pest Control Sydney

Bed Bug Pest Control SydneyBed Bug Pest Control Sydney

What are bed bugs? Where are bed bugs found? How did I get bed bugs?

Need Pest Control For bed bugs?

 

Bed Bug Pest Control SydneyWhat is a bed bug?

 

Bed bug Pest Control Sydney – Bed bugs probably got their name with the close association with human beds where they are often found hiding during the daylight hours. At night bed bugs come out to feed and are attracted to body heat. The bite of a bed bug is normally painless; however, about 80% of the population will develop an allergic type reaction to the bite. The bed bug bite can cause general swelling that extends beyond the area of the bite leaving no red spot at the bite point.

What do bed bugs look like?

 

Bed bugs are flat, reddish-brown, and somewhat oval and flat and about 5-6 mm long or the size of an apple seed. As the bed bug feeds their bodies swell and appear to be red in colour due to the blood they have injected. An unfed bed bug would usually be a cream colour.

The Young:

  • Small and colourless.
  • General body appearance of adults.
  • Turn red or purple when engorged with blood.

Adult:

  • 4-5 mm long.
  • Reddish-brown in colour.
  • Wingless (oval structure in their place)
  • Flat, oval shaped body.
  • Body appears to be shiny.
  • Piercing/Sucking mouth parts.

Bed bug Pest Control Sydney 

Where can bed bugs be found?

 

Bed bugs are often found hiding in Cracks and crevices including mattress seams, sheets, furniture, behind baseboards, electrical outlet plates and picture frames. Bed Bugs are often found in hotels, where they can travel from room to room and in visitors’ luggage.

What do bed bugs eat?

 

Bed bugs preferably feed on human blood, but they can also make use of other hosts such as bats, poultry and other birds.

How many eggs can a bed bug lay?

 

An adult Bed bug under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, can live over 300 days. Female bed bugs deposit their eggs into cracks and crevices or on rough surfaces. The female bed bug lays one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime.

What is the life cycle of a bedbug?

 

Under ideal conditions, the bed Bug cycle takes about 21 days from egg to adult. Nymphs go through 5 moults and require a blood feed before each moult. In the absence of blood meals, nymphs have been known to survive for 2 years.

Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney

What Impacts can bed bugs cause ?

 

  • Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and other mammals.
  • ​Bed bugs are not known to transmit any diseases.
  • The fear of bed bug infestations and their bites has known to lead to emotional distress
  • Bites may result in an itchy welt that can cause discomfort and may lead to a secondary infection
Bed bug Pest Control in Sydney 

Do I have bed bugs?

 

The real answer to this and to know 100% for sure if you have bedbugs is to see the bug itself. Not all bites are caused from bedbugs and by presuming you have bedbugs, you could be giving yourself unnecessary stress!

It is important to realise that it is not possible to provide a diagnosis simply by examining the bite, the reason being is that simply that everyone reacts differently to bites!

If you are being bitten you should consider all possible causes of the bites also taking the following questions into consideration:

  • Have you travelled recently?
  • Did the bites start after you have come home from travelling?
  • Has anyone stayed over that has been travelling?
  • Do you have pets?
  • Have you seen or heard any birds nesting in or around the window seals/roof cavity/balcony etc?
Bed bug Inspection in Sydney

How can I check if I have bed bugs?

 

If you believe you may have bedbugs you should inspect the areas marked in the image below looking for:

  • Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses
  • Dark spots, similar in size to this dot • which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a mark from a permanent marker or texta
  • Eggs & egg casings, which are about 1 mm, pale yellow skins that baby bed bugs shed as they grow larger.
  • Live bed bugs

Bed Bug Pest Control SydneyPay Special Attention to:

 

  • The seams of the mattress, chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains.
  • Mattress Base – Bed Joints especially where the bedhead and side rails meet – Bed slats – Bed legs etc
  • In drawer joints
  • In electrical outlets & appliances.
  • Under loose wall paper and wall art/pictures
  • Where the wall and the ceiling meet
  • Where the wall and floor meet

Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney

Further Reading

Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney
Bedbug Treatment Sydney
Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney
Bed Bug Pest Control in Sydney
Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney
Bed Bugs in the Workplace

 

Bed Bug Pest Control SydneyBed Bug Pest Control SydneyWe would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call or contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

Bed Bug Pest Control Sydney

Ants

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Need Pest Control For Ants?

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney – Ants are a part of the insect family and are in fact a group of small and highly specialised wasp and have one of the most advanced forms of social life amongst the insect world. They live in colonies that vary in sizes from a few to hundreds of thousands of individuals.  Ants are a unique and superior species that can administer and organise their colony, where each type of ant has a specific role to play.

What do ants eat?

Ants are omnivorous, which means they will eat a wide variety of substances including insects, sweets, oils, vegetables etc which they carry the food back to the nest where they provide food for each other, and it is because of this process of the ants carrying the food back to the nest the products Pest Control Today use for ant eradication work so well.

Why are ants classified as pests?

 

Ant Pest Control Sydney – There are many different species of ants in Australia and in fact there is only a small number of ant species that have become pests in and around homes and offices.

Ants travel through unsanitary areas before they end up inside. They are known to carry disease organisms which can cause dysentery, smallpox and even salmonella

Ants scavenge for food in kitchens, other food handling areas, garbage areas and even dog poo. Hence, an ant issue in your home should not be taken lightly.

Some species of ants that can sting and bite, which can even be fatal!

What Ants can be found in Sydney?

The most common ants that can be found in Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney
Black House Ant

Black House Ant

An Australian native found in rural and urban areas. They are often a pest of domestic environments and will build their nest in cracks or gaps, beside pathways. They generally enter the home in search of food.

Like other ant species, they will nest underground and in voids, for e.g. roof voids or wall cavities. They prefer sugary liquids and will tend to also feed on aphids and other bugs on domestic plants to feed off their sweet secretions.

Appearance
  • 5-3mm long
  • Black in colour
  • Nuisance and scavenge in kitchens, garbage and dog excrement
  • Able to spread diseases such as salmonella.
  • Attracted to sweets
Habitat
  • Nest outside against paths, in rockeries and cracks & crevices.
  • Will nest indoors
  • Nests have been found in wall & ceiling cavities, doors & fences
  • Adults will usually run in distinct trails which can assist in finding nests.
  • Black droppings can sometimes be seen on floors, window sills and benches

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney
Carpenter Ant

Carpenter Ant

Large and are often mistaken for termites, as they prefer to live in rotting and damp woo. Carpenter ants are often found eating at night, so it might not be an ant that you would see during the day, but you may see or hear evidence of their activities late at night. The carpenter ant eats insects, sweets & meat.

Appearance
  • Largest ant found in homes
  • Black to brown in colour
  • Can also be dark brown to brownish orange
  • Mandibles have 5-8 teeth
  •  2.5mm in length
Habitat
  • Nest in Decaying wood
  • Found nesting in soil

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney
Bull Ant

Bull Ant

Well known in Australia for their aggressive behaviour and their powerful stings. Their venom has known to induce an anaphylactic reaction to victims who have allergies to bull ant stings.

They have large eyes and long, slender mandibles. They have super vision which allows them to be able to track and even follow intruders from approx. 1 meter.

 Appearance
  • 18-20 mm
  • Often black or red
  • Very aggressive
Habitat
  • Nests outdoors in soil, under logs or under rocks. They also build a unique, extensive tunnel system.
  • Found in bushy areas (they rarely enter buildings)
  • They give a very painful sting.
  • Able to sting repeatedly.
  • Feeds on other insects and honeydew from scale insects or plant nectar.

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney
Coastal Brown Ant

 


Coastal Brown Ant

Often nest between pavers and along pathways and will throw out soils. They can also infest wall cavities, leaving piles of debris at the nest entrance. Nests can become very large.

Appearance
  • Golden brown to brown in colour
  • Two raised nodes on pedicel.
  • Sting present
  • 2 jointed waist
  • 1.5 – 2.5mm
  • Soldier has enlarged darkened head
Habitat
  • Infests houses
  • stores and gardens
  • Eat sugar to cheese, meat & bread
  • They prefer to feed on fatty foods

Ant Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control Sydney

What are the signs of an ant infestation?

 

  • Live ants
  • Ant trails either internally/externally
  • Small heaps of dirt in the lawn or in the areas between pathing

How are ants treated?

 

Pest Control Today uses a product that is designed to eradicate not just the surface ants but the entire nest of ants.

Internally

A low toxic bait is placed in areas where ant trails have been seen. The ants feed from the bait and carry it back with them to the nest which is designed to kill the colony and Queen.

Externally

External ant treatments are conducted with a product called Termidor. The benefit of this product is that as ants cannot detect that the spray is an insecticide they carry it back to the nest where the chemical is transferred amongst the other ants in the colony which in turn eradicates the entire nest of ants.

How can ants be Prevented?

 

Ants usually come inside your home or business looking for food. They are attracted to sweet and sticky substances.

Internally
  • Clean up spills and food crumbs
  • Empty rubbish bins
  • Feed pets outside and wash their feed dishes daily
  • Store food in pest-proof containers
  • Rinse out jars and containers
Externally
  • Keep trees and shrubs near your house trimmed
  • clear gutters and storm drains
  • Look out for new ant mounds or nests around your home
  • Keep garbage bags sealed
  • Keep the lid of the garbage bin closed
  • Seal around doors and windows where ants could enter

 

Ant Pest Control SydneyAnt Pest Control Sydney

Ant Pest Control SydneyWe would love to find out more on how we may be able to help you.

Click to call us or get in contact with us via the contact form available at our website.

 

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