Due to our wet, cool spring the typical abundance of carpenter ant swarms we normally experience in April or May in Western Washington was delayed quite a bit. Whitworth Pest Solutions really began to experience a surge in calls beginning in late June and July. We’re still getting many calls now as we head into mid-August. The following is a short common FAQ on Carpenter Ants. The take-home message here is: be on the lookout for carpenter ants and DEFINITELY do not turn a blind eye to common ant sightings inside. This could be a sign of a serious problem and should not be ignored.

WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS LOOK LIKE?

They are the largest black ants occurring in Washington State.  Workers range in size from 1/8”-3/4” and are solid black or their midsection may be reddish brown.  Female swarmers are winged and up to 1” long.

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

Carpenter ants are abundant in wooded areas where they live in hollow trees and fallen logs.  In the spring, swarmers fly from the woods to search for new nest sites.  Often, when woods are cleared for new construction sites, the displaced ants will invade the new buildings, whether they’re homes or businesses. The most common way nests are established is when worker ants swarm from parent colonies and migrate into buildings to form satellite nests.

I ONLY SEE A FEW ANTS PER DAY, SO WHY SHOULD I WORRY?

Occasional winged ants may just be wandering in, but if you regularly see wingless workers, they are gathering food for a colony and a nest must be nearby.  Most ants stay in the nest and only 1-5 percent of the colony ever leaves it.  For every worker you see, there may be 99 more in the nest.

I ONLY SEE ANTS DURING THE SPRING. DO I NEED TO WORRY?

Carpenter ants are extremely active during the spring and become more secretive during the summer, fall and winter.  Their apparent disappearance during much of the year is typical of established nests when workers begin foraging outdoors.

HOW DO I TELL IF MY HOME (OR BUSINESS) IS INFESTED WITH THEM?

If you regularly see large black ants in the kitchen or bathroom, you probably have a carpenter ant nest somewhere inside.  If you see ants regularly along the foundation, sidewalks or patio, you have a nest nearby, possibly inside.

ARE CARPENTER ANTS REALLY A SERIOUS PROBLEM?

Yes, they are the most common wood-destroying insect in the Pacific Northwest. Carpenter ants can chew into the major structural timbers of your home (or business-they don’t discriminate) while building their nests and runways.  If ignored, they may cause serious damage, costing you thousands of dollars in structural repairs. For this reason, Whitworth Pest Solutions will take an aggressive approach (when required) when treating a building. We’ve seen what they can do when they’re ignored:

View of Carpenter Ant Damage in Wood

View of Carpenter Ant Damage Close-Up: Same Piece of Wood

Whitworth tech checking for mosquito larvae in a pond

Mosquito season is bearing down on us, and the threat of occurences of West Nile Virus in Washington State is very real. See the Washington State Dept. of Health page for more info at: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/zoo/wnv/wnv.html. There are common sense things that we all can do around our properties to make our home or business less inviting for mosquitoes:

• Eliminate water-trapping containers like old tires and cans.
• Empty bird baths weekly; empty pet water dishes or wading pools weekly.
• Clean debris from rain gutters regularly to prevent standing water.
• Dump water off of tarps over boats, garden areas, pool or Jacuzzi covers.
• Drain or fill tree holes, mud puddles, and re-grade landscape to prevent standing water.
• If you have ornamental ponds, stock them with insect eating fish, like goldfish.
• Do not over-water your lawn so that puddles accumulate.
• Do not use insect electrocuters (bug zappers) to kill mosquitoes. They kill many more beneficial insects than mosquitoes and often draw more insects to your house than ever before.
• Do not apply any pesticides to water.  A state Department of Agriculture license and Department of Ecology Permit are required to treat water.

Whitworth Pest Solutions is licensed to perform mosquito control and has the necessary Department of Agriculture and Ecology licenses and permits.  If you want help controlling mosquitoes, call us.  We can inspect your property for breeding sites and treat if needed.

In most cases, the public of Washington State is in good hands when it comes to their pest management person. Our state employs a rigorous testing and continuing education program for commercial pest control applicators. This is important to know because most people don’t realize the important and ever increasing role that pest management plays in public health and safety.

Here are some examples of how Whitworth Pest Solutions and other pest management professionals protect public health:

Bed bug control: Bed bugs are blood-feeding parasites that have received a lot of attention due to the fact that infestations have risen dramatically. At this time, they’re not known to spread diseases. Hotel managers, property managers, and anyone else who has been personally affected by bed bug problems considers them to be a health threat.

Cockroach control: Not only are cockroaches probably the most disliked of all pests, they can play an important role in disease transmission. They contaminate food with their saliva, feces and glandular secretions. They can spread a variety of diseases, but are most often implicated in the transmission of Salmonella, which causes food poisoning.

Mosquito control: In our state, many cities, municipalities, and homeowner associations have set aside money to hire pest management professionals to treat storm drains, wetlands, retention ponds and other standing bodies of water. Controlling mosquitoes helps to reduce the impact of annoying bites and mosquito-borne diseases.

Rodent control: From a public health perspective, rats and mice are huge threats to any food-related manufacturing, processing or distribution facility. The sheer amount of food contaminated every year by rodents is shocking. In a worldwide study done in 1982, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations reported that rats destroyed more than 42 million tons of food worth $30 billion. It’s estimated that between one-fifth to one-third of the world’s food supply never reaches the table due to losses from rodents. In the U.S., food and health inspectors will not tolerate any presence of rodents in areas where contamination could occur. Therefore, the pest management professional plays a huge role in the sanitation and food safety programs of these facilities.

Many others: Fleas, flies (biting and non-biting), stinging insects, mites, ticks and spiders all contribute threats to public health as well, depending on the situation.

These are just a few of the pests that pest management professionals combat. Pest management becomes necessary when populations of any of the aforementioned pests reach intolerable levels or when potential disease problems become evident. In either case, a well-educated, well-trained pest management company such as Whitworth Pest Solutions is often relied upon to protect the public from these threats.

It was very nice to see everyone that came to the pruning class in December.

Once again, we lucked out with the weather. Although it was very cold, it remained dry throughout the day. As in past years, the class started inside and then moved outside for some hands-on experience.  I hope everyone in attendance left with a better understanding of proper pruning techniques to try out on their landscape.

If you were unable to attend this class, please watch for an announcement of the next one in our fall 2010 newsletter. In the meantime here are a few tips to help you prune trees properly:

First, decide why you are pruning the tree. If it is because the tree is too big for the location and you want to make it smaller, the tree should probably be removed.

Before beginning, visualize how you want the tree to look when you’ve finished pruning.

Remember to never remove more than 1/3 of the living tree tissue in one year.

Begin by removing large limbs first.

Remove all diseased, broken, or dead branches.

Remove crossing or interfering branches.

For fruit trees, thin out the middle of the tree to allow better air circulation and light penetration.

These are just a few of the basic rules for proper pruning that will encourage a beautiful and healthy tree.

We’re pleased to announce that we now offer one-on-one pruning lessons. The charge is $150.00 for a one-hour class. It includes consulting on what needs to be done specifically in your landscape, and hands-on instruction of proper pruning techniques. If you are interested in setting an appointment, please give our office a call.

Belinda Bowman,

Certified Arborist