Ant Control Philippines Archives - Pest Control Philippines

June 30, 2022

3 Common Kitchen Pests To Watch Out For

What are the common kitchen pests to watch out for?

Ants
Cockroaches
Rodents

The kitchen is the place where food is prepared. Where there is food around, there is the risk of pests attraction, especially if pests have easy access to your kitchen. Whether it’s a kitchen in your home, restaurant, office, or school, it’s important to know the common kitchen pests to watch out for. Take steps to prevent annoying, damaging, and costly pest infestions by implementing high standards of sanitation and hygiene. Keep on reading to learn more!

Ants

Ants are one of the most common household pests, and they can be commonly found in the kitchen. Ants are known for liking the sugar content of food, which is why you might find them near sweet foods, such as syrups! Since these pests need water, they might also be found near the sink.

Here are some of the reasons why you might find them in your kitchen:

Having sugary and sticky food items
Excess moisture source
Improperly stored food
Uncovered garbage

Unfortunately, ants are capable of causing food contamination and spreading diseases like Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella. For this reason, you don’t want ants to come and go in your kitchen, especially if you have a food business.

Ants leave scent trails behind when they go through places as this allows them to follow each other. That’s why you will often see them walk in lines. You can follow the trail to find out where they’re coming from. You’ll need the help of a pest management team to find and get rid of the ant colony.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches can be found in poorly cleaned and sanitized kitchens, and can be a reason for your health code violation if you’re managing a restaurant. But how do they get into your kitchen?

Here are some of the things that can attract cockroaches:

Food debris
Moisture
Clutter
Warmth and heat

Cockroaches can hitchhike in deliveries and also get inside holes that give them access to your kitchen. They look for a steady supply of food and water to survive. Cockroaches are problematic because they can spread disease-causing pathogens. Their droppings can leave dark stains and trigger asthma attacks, too.

One of the most effective ways to prevent a cockroach infestation is to properly store food and practice proper cleaning. If you already have a cockroach problem, a pest management team can help you solve the problem effectively.

Rodents

Mice and rats are commonly found in kitchens since they’re also enticed by food and nesting options in this area! They can climb and squeeze themselves into small openings to get into your kitchen. Whether it’s through holes or gaps in walls, floors, or windows, they will find a way to get in for the following reasons:

Food and water source
Food debris
Nesting location

Some of the usual food sources of rodents in your kitchen include grains, rice, and cereal which can be found in your cupboards. However, they don’t have a preference of where they will get their food from, so garbage is just fine too. Rodents also attracted to dark and damp areas, so they might gather under the sink.

Urine and feces from rodents can be a cause of food and water contamination. Rodents can also spread pathogens, such as leptospirosis and salmonella. Rodents also carry smaller pests with them, such as ticks, fleas, and mites. They like to gnaw and can cause damage to your kitchen.

To get rid of rodents in your kitchen, store all food properly and get rid of nesting materials, such as cardboard, paper, fabric, or rugs. Seal entry points so they can’t come in. Pest control teams will help you remove rodents if you have an infestation.

Key Takeaway

These common kitchen pests to watch out for may be small or look harmless, but they can cause many problems for you and others, such as contaminating food and water, spreading diseases, and causing damage to property!

The three things that will attract them to your kitchen are food, water, and a place for nesting, so make sure to implement higher standards when it comes to hygiene and sanitation and seal all entry points!

If you presently have a pest infestation in your kitchen, call us here at Topbest, so we can help you! As an experienced pest control and management company, we only use safe and effective methods to get rid of pests for good. We also offer FREE pest consultation in the Philippines.

January 11, 2022January 10, 2022

4 Common Ant Species in the Philippines

What are the common ant species in the Philippines?

Pharaoh Ant
Weaver Ant
Pavement Ant
Black House Ant

Anywhere you may be in the world, the chances are high that you’ve been annoyed by all kinds of ants. Ants are small, vicious, and worst of all, ubiquitous. You’ll find them everywhere, in all kinds of habitats in any kind of weather. The Philippines is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot, with a wide range of ant species that makes its study more interesting. There are more than 12,000 known ant species worldwide, but here, we’ll talk about # of them.

The most common ant species in the Philippines are the ones we encounter in our homes because food sources are abundant there. They like to make colonies they have access to food that we discard or leave out in the open. As you read the list, you may recognize some of these ants as unwanted visitors to your home. Let’s get started with the first one:

Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaonis)

The Pharaoh ant, sometimes mistakenly called the Pharaoh’s ant, is a common ant in the Philippines. They are considered an invasive species worldwide, and a major indoor pest in the United States.

Appearance: The Pharaoh ant is a tiny and slender ant of yellow-brown color. Males are slightly larger than the average worker, and they have a darker color with wings. The Queens are even larger than the males, are bright red, and winged.

Behavior: These ants like to make ground nests and are generally scavengers. Their habit of making nests in hard-to-reach places makes them difficult to control. Colonies can also have multiple queens that are interchangeable, allowing their colonies to have longer lifespans.

Weaver Ant (Oecophylla)

The weaver ant can be encountered even in urban areas of the Philippines. They are commonly known as the “hantik”.

Appearance: Weaver ants are large ants that are red and sometimes green. They are generally larger than other common ants in the Philippines so they can easily be spotted.

Behavior: Hantiks are known for their aggressive and territorial behavior. When people encounter them, they tend to steer clear because it is likely that they will get bitten. Weaver ants get their names because they like to weave mango leaves together and call it home. One colony can make several nests in different trees, and they are found mostly on canopies. Because they make their home in leaves, they have evolved to be averse to fair. If you light a matchstick near some weaver ants, they will attempt to put it out by secreting a liquid from their abdomens.

Pavement Ant (Tetramorium caespitum)

The pavement ant is another ant species that are considered invasive in the Philippines. They are typically found in agricultural and highly disturbed areas. You’ll find them under rocks and loose bark.

Appearance: Pavement ants come in dark brown and black, have two spines on the back and a groove on the head. These ants are relatively small, and the winged ones are often mistaken as termites.

Behavior: These ants are labeled as aggressive breeders, and they are not picky of the time of the year to swarm your household. They like to scavenge and are generalist predators. They’ll often be foraging on the ground and building nests in twigs, rocks, and bark. They don’t bite, but they can sting you. Thankfully, they’re not as aggressive as weaver ants and would most likely leave you alone.

Black House Ant (Ochetellus glaber)

The black house ant is one of the most common ants in the Philippines, being present in households anywhere in the country. These ants are not dangerous, but they can be annoying at times.

Appearance: As the name suggests, these ants are small and black. They are small, just 2.5-3 mm long, and they are often described as shiny.

Behavior: Black house ants are arboreal when nesting outside, but they like to go ground-foraging. Indoors, their black bodies can be easily noticed, and they form very noticeable columns when traveling to and from the colony. They are fast-moving, but not aggressive and rarely bite humans. The only threat they can pose is unintentionally spreading disease-causing bacteria to food sources.

Key Takeaway

As mentioned earlier, there are way too many common ant species in the Philippines to be discussed on a single page. The ones you’ve read here are some of the most widespread in the archipelago, making them familiar problems in Filipino households. Even though biodiversity is good, having invasive species might be more damaging to both humans and the environment.

If you’re having an ant problem, then the best way to solve it is to call for professional pest control. We at Topbest have been the first choice of Filipinos when it comes to pest control solutions. Our experts have liberated over 5,000 homes in the Philippines from harmful pests of different kinds. Interested? Feel free to contact us anytime for a free consultation!

November 8, 2021

5 Facts About the Life Cycle of an Ant

What are some facts about the ant’s life cycle?

Some eggs hatch, some get eaten
Larvae feeding is crucial
Ants metamorphose
Colonies have castes
Timelines differ per species

Where do ants come from? Have you ever wondered what goes on underneath those ant mounds you see outside? Their tunnels are filled with thousands of ants for one queen, and yet we almost never see what happens to their growth. The ant life cycle might be mostly hidden from our eyes, but it’s no longer a secret.

Ants go through four stages in their lives: as eggs, as larvae, as pupae, and as adults. Keep on reading to learn some more facts about the lives of ants!

Some eggs hatch, some get eaten

All ants start as eggs. They are white, oval, and roughly 1 mm in length each. I’m sure you could imagine just how small the eggs of insects as small as ants must be. But ant eggs are more than just amazingly small.

Queen ants can lay up to 800 eggs on average each day. When an egg is fertilized, it will hatch into a female. Unfertilized eggs produce males. You could understand how ant colonies grow so populous, but not all eggs become adults.

Some eggs get eaten before they even hatch. While the colony is just starting, the queen may eat some of the eggs for sustenance. Workers would also feed some eggs to the larvae. Tough luck for them!

Larvae feeding is crucial

Ant larvae emerge from the eggs after about 3-4 weeks. These larvae look like worms with no eyes. During this stage, the larvae do nothing but eat and grow. They get fed by the workers and they rapidly molt and grow. These larvae would shed their skin again and again during this 1-2-week stage of their lives.

How is this crucial? Larvae that get fed more grow bigger. And eventually, they grow into queens. The other less-fed larvae grow into simple workers. Future queens are determined by the amount that larvae eat.

Ants metamorphose

Metamorphosis isn’t exclusive to butterflies. When larvae get big enough, they pupate or become pupa. This is the transition period when they metamorphose (transform) into full-fledged adults.

They start to look more like adults in this stage, except with legs and antennae tucked close to their bodies. Some species of ants even form a silk cocoon and attach themselves to walls as they pupate. After 9-30 days, the transformation will be complete.

Colonies have castes

Adult ants arise from pupae, and then the direction of the life cycle branches out. As fully formed mature ants, they stay the same size for the entirety of their lives. However, adults are separated into different castes and play different roles for the colony.

Adult ants can become queens, workers, or males. The biggest of them are the queens. These ants have wings that let them fly off, mate, and start their own colonies, completing the ant life cycle. The queens tear off their wings before burrowing into the ground and laying the first eggs of the colony.

Workers are smaller females than queens, and they are the backbone of the colony. Workers do everything; they gather food, take care of the young, build and maintain the colony, and everything in between! Larger workers are the ones that defend the colony, sometimes called soldiers.

Males, or drones, are winged and fertile. They can fly and they can mate with queens. Other than that, they don’t really do anything. They don’t help with any of the chores of the colony, and they die after a few weeks.

Timelines differ per species

The life cycle lasts around 6-10 weeks on average, from egg to adult. The timeline becomes a lot different when they become adults in their own castes, and it’s also different for each species.

Drones only last for a few weeks. They’re the quickest to die in a colony, and since they don’t help anyway, that’s one less mouth to feed.

Workers can live for a few months at a time, but they have high mortality rates. After all, they’re the ones who venture out of the nest. Good thing the queen can produce hundreds in a day!

Ant queens are tough. In the right conditions, they can live for over a decade. They keep the colony alive, so if you wanted to get rid of them, the queen should be a prime target.

The lives of ants differ largely on the species and conditions that they are in, so it is difficult to give a single estimation for all ants.

Key Takeaway

Ants live life very differently from us. Understanding how they live and how they develop gives us more insight into how they function. This deeper understanding can help us study them better, or learn how to counter them.

Ant problems are very common, and we know that very well. If you have an invasive ant problem, then you’re in the right place to be! Just send us a message here and we can talk about shortening the lifespan of the ants in your home!

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021

Why Do Ants Keep Coming Back?

Why do ants keep coming back?

Presence of an ant colony nearby
Access to their survival needs
Remaining ant pheromones
Accessible entry points
Ineffective home remedies

It might be tempting to squish ants and be done with it, but their family and friends will keep coming back. If this occurs to you often, there might be some things that you’re overlooking or doing wrong. If that’s the case, you might need pest control services soon. If you’re wondering why ants keep coming back, keep on reading!

Presence of an Ant Colony Nearby

Although some species of ants typically travel, others prefer to build a nest. That’s why killing a few ants won’t be enough if there is an ant colony nearby. This could be built in trees, underground, or inside ant plants. Some colonies have even survived for hundreds of years, so as long as it’s there, the ants will keep coming back. Aside from nesting outdoors, they can also live inside your home or establishment. You could find them inside walls or behind the baseboard.

Although some ant colonies have only a few dozen ants, the average nest has thousands of ants. This is why a pest control professional is needed if the colony is still alive. They can help find the roots of an infestation and prevent it from causing further problems.

Access to Their Survival Needs

Just like other pests, ants need food, water, and shelter to survive. If you have a messy kitchen, then that’s another reason why they keep coming back. Store food in airtight containers, clean up the mess as soon as possible and take the trash out regularly. Check the pet bowl for leftovers too, as this can attract them.

Other than that, ants also need moisture. Check your pipes for leaks and drips to keep them away. Keeping your place clean and hygienic can help stop them from coming back. It will also keep other pests away.

Remaining Ant Pheromones

They might look small and unintelligent, but ants use special navigational methods to find their way back to your home. As ants move, they produce a special pheromone and deposits it along a route. This acts as a guide to the other ants on how to find specific food sources in your home. That’s why you will see a line of ants going through the same trail.

If you only kill the ants and forget to clean the area where they have gone through, you can’t get rid of the pheromone trail that they made. This might be the reason why other ants keep coming back. One way to solve the problem is to use a mixture of vinegar-water spray. The strong scent will mask the scent and pheromones on the trail.

Accessible Entry Points

If you provide ants an entry point into your home or establishment, they will keep coming back. And this just doesn’t mean closing doors and windows. Any cracks and crevices in the wall, door frame, or ground are a means of entry.

To stop ants from coming back, it’s a good idea to perform some repairs and renovations. Patch up holes, fix the caulking around doors, and replace the screens on the window. Inspect the foundation for entry points too because there might be some loose mortar in there. Other than that, be mindful of trees and shrubs as these can acts as bridges into your home.

Ineffective Home Remedies

If you ignore an ant problem with the hope that it will resolve eventually, the problem will worsen. Queen ants can produce multiple eggs per day, so an infestation could grow in no time. But it’s also important to do your research if you’re trying home remedies.

For example, spraying your entire home with ant repellent might not be the wisest choice. Instead of getting rid of the problem for good, you’re contaminating your living space with harsh chemicals. Often, this is only a short-term solution and you’ll see ants again soon. If you have a severe infestation, the best option is to hire a pest control professional.

Key Takeaway

Ants are a persistent problem for many homes and business owners. Unfortunately, they will keep coming back as long as the colony survives, they can access their necessities, detect pheromones from other ants, and find holes they can enter through. Spraying them with an ant repellant might not be the best solution too.

If you’re wondering why ants keep coming back, Topbest can help you! As a professional pest control company, we have methods to detect and treat an ant problem in your home or establishment. It comes with a free inspection too. To get started, you can contact us here.