ANTS PEST GUIDE
There are currently 40 confirmed species from 23 genera in New Zealand. Of these, only 11 are endemic (found only in New Zealand), which are generally widespread geographically and commonly found in forested habitats. The other 29 are introduced species, accidentally transported to New Zealand by humans, mostly from Australia.
ANTS
• Entry:
Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks, seeking water and sweet or greasy food substances in the kitchen pantry or storeroom areas.
• Scent Trails:
Ants leave an invisible chemical trail which contains pheromones for others to follow once they locate the food source.
• Nest locations:
They can nest just about anywhere in and around your property; in lawns, walls, ceilings, stumps, even under pavers, cobbles and foundations.
• Colony Size:
Colonies can number up to 300,000 to 500,000, and whole colonies can uproot and relocate quickly when threatened.
• Colony Lifetime:
A colony can live a relatively long lifetime. Worker ants may live seven years, and the queen may live as long as 15 years.
• Do-It-Yourself Ineffectiveness:
Most do-it-yourself ant control approaches kill only the ants you see. Some truly effective treatments can penetrate and destroy nests to help prevent these pests from returning. Also, home remedies don’t account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments.
• Ant Life Cycle:
The ant life cycle has four distinct and very different life stages: egg, larvae, pupae and adult. This is known as complete metamorphosis. It generally takes from several weeks to several months to complete the life cycle, depending upon the ant species and environmental factors.
EGGS
A female ant that successfully mates with a male ant will become a queen ant that lays eggs. Fertile queens select a sheltered place to begin a nest (colony) and begin laying eggs. Ant eggs are very small – only about a half of a millimeter in diameter. The eggs are also oval, white and transparent.
LARVAE
After about 1-2 weeks in the egg stage, a grub-like, legless ant larvae hatches. This stage has a voracious appetite, and the adult ants spend much of their time feeding the larvae with food and liquids they digest and regurgitate.
PUPAE
After the larvae molt and shed their skin, they change into the pupal stage. Pupae appear somewhat like adults except their legs and antennae are folded and pressed against the pupal body. Initially, ant pupae are usually white, but slowly become darker in color as they age. Depending upon the ant species, pupae may be housed in a protective cocoon.
ADULT
Once the pupal stage is complete, the adult ant comes on the scene. At the time of emergence, the adult ant is fully grown, but darkens in color as it ages. Adult ants are one of three different colony castes; queens, workers or males. Queens are fertile females that lay all the eggs in a colony. Workers are females that do not reproduce, but do gather food; feed the larvae; and maintain and clean the nest. Workers are wingless, and it is the worker stage that is seen foraging around for food or defending the colony from intruders. The male ants are winged, but their only job is to mate with the queens during the swarming process.
How Propest protects you and your property from ants
Propest has worked a successful control program that relies on the latest integrated approaches to ant treatments. The products used for control are carefully selected with equal emphasis on both safety and effectiveness. The products are applied by trained and highly experienced staff who understands the intricacies of ant control. Please contact us for a free inspection and treatment options customised for your unique situation.
AIM - Our 360 degree Service Program
SOME COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT PESTS
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Regular Propest pest control treatments are necessary to keep pests out of your home or business. Most pest control products on the market are designed to last around a maximum of 45-60 days, and should be periodically reapplied in order to create a protective barrier around the exterior of your property. Also, pests can be extremely adaptive and resilient to pest control products and therefore require frequent applications to control a pest problem. We recommend treatment services between 1-3 months – depending on the nature of the invasive species in order to keep your property safe, secure and hygienic.
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Propest follows a 360 degree pest program known as A.I.M.
ATTAIN Propest attains a comprehensive site survey.
IMPLEMENT Propest implements a service approach that meets your needs.
MANAGE Propest manages your continued protection.
By following this proven method Propest will communicate exactly what your needs are, we will employ the highest moral and ethical standards for treatments, and therefore we will not recommend anything our customers do not need.
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The pest industry products used by Propest technicians here in New Zealand have undergone rigorous research, development and testing first at the manufacturer level, then at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and finally, in many cases through World Health Organisation and other international bodies. All Propest technicians have the required licences to handle these products and a wide range of regular training on their safe and appropriate use, is provided.
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It is important to have an educated understanding of, and conservative respect for the pest control products that are applied in and around your home. In most cases, a person or pet should stay out the treated area until the pest control solution is dry. Propest recommends 2-4 hours stand down until it is safe to re-enter the property. The Propest pest control technician will provide you with a detailed service report that states the name of each product used, as well as where it was applied and when it is safe to re enter. If you ever have any questions about a specific product we used, please reach out to us so that labels and material data safety sheets can be provided.
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A green or organic pest control treatment is any treatment that uses a naturally occurring, non-synthetically altered or enhanced pesticide. These products are usually botanical, and they have proven to be quite effective overall. However, they do sometimes lack the residual power of synthetic versions that have been created by scientists in laboratories.
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Pesticides are chemicals that may be used to kill fungus, bacteria, insects, plant diseases, snails, slugs, or weeds among others. These chemicals can work by ingestion or by touch and death may occur immediately or over a long period of time.
Insecticides are a type of pesticide that is used to specifically target and kill insects. Some insecticides include snail bait, ant killer, and wasp killer.
Herbicides are used to kill undesirable plants or “weeds”. Some herbicides will kill all the plants they touch, while others are designed to target one species.