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Exopest Pest Control

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LOCALLY OWNED IN SURREY, BC

Carpenter Ant Control in British Columbia

We follow carpenter ants back to their nests in your deck, walls or roofline, then treat each nest we find.
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Exopest technician checking a damp deck for carpenter ant nests at a Surrey, BC home

WHERE CARPENTER ANTS NEST

Carpenter Ant Nest Treatment for Decks, Frames & Walls

Carpenter ants chew their nests into wood that has stayed wet, and coastal rain keeps plenty of it soft. These are the spots around Lower Mainland homes where our ant control team finds them most often.

Decks, fences and porches

Ledger boards, posts and steps that hold rain or touch the soil rot first and make easy nesting wood.

Window frames and roof edges

Water that seeps past sills, fascia boards and roof sheathing softens the wood high up, out of sight.

Wall voids and crawlspaces

Insulated walls, hollow doors and damp crawlspace joists shelter satellite nests close to your kitchen.

carpenter-ant-identification-ant-termite-frass-bc.webp

CARPENTER ANT OR TERMITE?

How to Identify a Carpenter Ant

Other large ants and BC’s dampwood termites are often mistaken for carpenter ants. These details tell them apart.

Size

Workers reach up to 15 mm, the largest ants in BC, and come in mixed sizes in one nest.

Other large black ants

Big black ants nesting in soil mounds or under stones are usually field ants, not carpenter ants.

Flying ants vs termites

Ants have a pinched waist, bent antennae and longer front wings. Termites have a thick waist and four equal wings.

Swarm season

Winged carpenter ants show up from February and peak in May. Dampwood termites fly in late summer and fall.

Sawdust vs pellets

Carpenter ant frass is shredded wood mixed with ant parts. Termites leave hard, oval droppings instead.

Inside the wood

Carpenter ant tunnels are clean, with debris pushed out. Termites eat the wood and leave galleries full of droppings.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Signs of Carpenter Ants in Your Home

Sawdust under trim or sills

Small piles of pale shavings mean ants are clearing tunnels in the wood just above.

Big black ants after dark

Workers forage mostly at night, so evening sightings in the kitchen matter most.

Winged ants in spring

Swarmers indoors from February to June mean a mature nest is in or beside the house.

Crackling inside a wall

A faint, dry crackle in a quiet room can be a large colony at work.

Hollow-sounding wood

Trim or framing that sounds hollow when tapped may already be tunnelled out.

Branches touching the roof

Trees, shrubs and ivy against the house give workers a bridge from outdoor nests.

WHY EARLY ACTION MATTERS

Why Carpenter Ants Shouldn't Wait

A colony takes years to mature, and it keeps tunnelling the whole time.

Satellite nests spread

Workers carry young to new nests in walls and voids, so one colony can take over several spots.

Hidden wood damage

Tunnels widen every season inside frames and joists, long before the surface looks wrong.

A leak behind the nest

Most nests sit in wet wood, so carpenter ants often point to a roof, plumbing or gutter leak.
Tip: count the ants you see indoors one evening. More than 10 to 12 suggests the nest may be inside the house.

OUR CARPENTER ANT PROCESS

How We Remove Carpenter Ants

01

Inspect

We check decks, sills, the roofline and crawlspace for frass, damp wood and active trails.
02

Locate

After dark, we follow the workers back to the main nest and any satellite nests.
03

Treat

Professional baits and a wall-void treatment reach the colony where it lives.
04

Protect

We flag the leaks and soft wood to fix, then check that the activity has stopped.

LICENSED, TARGETED TREATMENT

Carpenter Ant Treatment That Reaches Hidden Nests

Spraying where ants come in rarely helps, because most main nests sit outdoors and the satellites hide inside walls. Our treatment goes where the colony actually lives.

Night-time trail tracking

Carpenter ants travel after dark, so that's when their trails lead us to the nest.

Professional baits

Slow-acting baits, sold only to licensed companies, are shared through the colony.

Wall-void treatment

For nests inside walls, we treat the void through a few small holes.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Every Carpenter Ant Treatment Includes

WHY EXOPEST

Why Choose Exopest

DIY OR PROFESSIONAL?

When to Call a Professional

A lone carpenter ant on the patio in summer is usually a forager from a stump or the woods nearby. Call us if you notice:
Household sprays only reach the ants in view. We find where the colony lives, inside or out, and treat it there.

LOCAL CARPENTER ANT ADVICE

How to Keep Carpenter Ants Out of Your Home

Mild, wet winters and tree-lined yards make the Lower Mainland ideal carpenter ant country, from Surrey to Maple Ridge.

The carpenter ant year in BC

SeasonCarpenter ants areWhat to do
Late winterWaking up; first swarmers can appearNote any ants seen indoors
SpringSwarming, peaking in MayCheck sills, decks and roof edges for frass
SummerForaging at night, far from the nestFollow evening trails with a flashlight
Fall and winterQuiet outdoors; nests in warm walls stay activeAnts indoors now point to a nest inside
Spring swarmers and fresh frass make it the easiest season to find a nest.

7 ways to keep carpenter ants out

  1. Clear gutters and repair roof or plumbing leaks quickly.
  2. Replace rotting deck boards, posts and window trim.
  3. Keep wood siding and deck posts from touching the soil.
  4. Cut back branches, shrubs and ivy that touch the house.
  5. Raise firewood off the ground, away from the walls, and burn it within a year.
  6. Seal the gaps where wires and pipes enter the house.
  7. Remove old stumps and rotting landscape timbers near the house.
Spotting sawdust already? Book carpenter ant control.

CLEAR, HONEST PRICING

How Much Does Carpenter Ant Control Cost in BC?

Each colony is different, so we price the job after the inspection. You’ll know the cost before treatment starts.

Number of nests

A main nest with satellites takes more work than a single one.

Where the nests are

Nests inside walls or roofs need more access than a deck post.

Size of the building

Larger homes and complexes have more wood to check.

Follow-up visits

Big, long-established colonies may need a second treatment.

Need an exact price?

Call 604-760-1542 for a free quote based on what we find at your home.

FOR HOMES AND LANDLORDS

Pest Control for Your Home

Carpenter ants in decks and walls, plus rodents, wasps and other pests, handled at houses, townhomes and rental suites.

FOR EVERY BUSINESS

Pest Control for Your Business

Ant and pest programs for strata complexes, offices, restaurants and other buildings, scheduled around your hours.

VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEWS

What Our Customers Say

Read what homeowners and property managers across Surrey, Langley and the Lower Mainland say about our work.
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Scorpion Ssandhhu
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Professional services with grate price
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Tami A
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We’ve been using Expopest for many years. Kashif is our go to guy whenever we need reliable service. He’s very knowledgeable and friendly. Call him anytime and he’s very quick to respond. 100% recommended!!
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Rog y
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Exopest has been servicing my business and property for a long time. Very efficient, friendly team and quick service Highly recommend
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Dominic Lee
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Kashif was very professional. Responded promptly to my messages and showed up on time to get the job done. Would recommend.
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Joan Mara
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Exceptional service by a local Canadian owned company. We called Exopest at 9pm on a Friday night and Manager Kashif Naseer picked up the phone! He was at our home in less than 24 hours. A significant mouse problem was irradiated 24 hours later. Kashif is a true professional: polite, proficient, he educated us, and he solved the problem for us. Could not be happier to recommend this company. Thank you Exopest!
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Terry Sidhu
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Kashif just left. Bald faced Hornets nest hanging in our front yard tree is safely deactivated. Minor activity still but he said it should be dormant by tomorrow. Super responsive and really nice guy. I checked prices and he's extremely reasonably priced. Easily 5 stars. Would recommend and call again anytime for services if needed! Thanks Kashif and Exopest!
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Jacob Bowman
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Exo Pest Control were a pleasure to deal with: responsive, punctual, and effective. kashif provided the technical services and were expert and friendly. I highly recommend this company in the event you have unwelcome cohabitants. thanks kashif
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Emmett Barber
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They were prompt and did a thorough inspection of the property/house. They were courteous and professional and very helpful. I would use them again in a heartbeat and would recommend their service to anyone without hesitation. nice job kashif

LOWER MAINLAND & FRASER VALLEY

Carpenter Ant Control in Surrey, Langley & Across the Lower Mainland

Our Surrey team treats carpenter ants in homes across Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge and the rest of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Pick your area below.
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Our home base

Surrey

Includes Whalley, Guildford, Fleetwood, Newton, Cloverdale and South Surrey.

Your local page

Don't see your area? View all service areas or call 604-760-1542.

HELPFUL ANSWERS

Carpenter Ant Control FAQs

Straight answers to what Lower Mainland homeowners ask us about carpenter ants.

Do carpenter ants eat wood?

No. They chew tunnels in it to nest and push the shavings out. They feed on other insects, honeydew from aphids and sweet or protein-rich food they find indoors.
Check a winged one: ants have a narrow waist, bent antennae and uneven wings, while termites have a thick waist and four equal wings. Ants fly in spring, and BC’s dampwood termites fly in late summer and fall. If you’re unsure, keep a few in a sealed bag for us to check.
Workers do most of their foraging after dark, moving along wires, pipes and branches. Following them with a flashlight in the evening is often the quickest way to find the nest.
Winged carpenter ants only come from colonies that are a few years old. Finding them indoors, especially by windows, usually means a nest in the house or right beside it.
Usually not. Most main nests are outdoors in rotting wood, with satellite nests inside, so a spray at the doorway leaves both untouched.
A light dusting of boric acid or diatomaceous earth along pipes and wiring can help with a small problem; keep it away from kids and pets. Established colonies hidden in walls are best left to a licensed technician.
Often, yes. If the wood stays wet, ants or rot will move back in. We point out the damaged areas so they can be repaired and the moisture source fixed.
It depends on how many nests there are, where they sit and the size of the building. Call 604-760-1542 for a free quote.

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SURREY-BASED, LICENSED TEAM

Found Sawdust or Flying Ants Indoors?

Call or request a quote, and a licensed Exopest technician will track down the nest and treat it.