The principal of an elementary school in Saint-Constant, on the South Shore, contacted our team at the beginning of the school year after the maintenance staff reported the presence of black ants in the cafeteria and in two classrooms. Given the number of students attending the school and the legal obligations regarding hygiene in school buildings, a quick and safe intervention was essential. Our exterminator in Saint-Constant made a visit the following day to make a complete assessment of the situation.
Inspection of a large school building
The inspection of a primary school is a large-scale operation because of the size of the premises, the number of sensitive areas and the diversity of uses of the spaces. Our technician walked through the cafeteria, service kitchens, signposted classrooms, locker rooms, service rooms, and the exterior perimeter of the building. The ants identified were common black ants, forming several distinct colonies connected by pheromone trails. The main nests were located in the walls of the cafeteria, attracted by food residues from the students’ meals. Secondary entrances were located under the thresholds of several exterior doors to the schoolyard, where the rubber joints were worn and left gaps. Our house ant extermination protocol is adapted to environments with children to guarantee their safety throughout the intervention.
Treatment in schools: constraints and methods
Any intervention in a school must be planned so as not to disrupt educational activities and not present any risk to students. The main treatment was carried out on a Friday evening, after the school closed, to allow for a sufficient period of drying and ventilation before the return of the students on Monday morning. Non-repellent gel baits were placed in areas inaccessible to children: in the cafeteria’s false floors, behind kitchen equipment, under radiators, and in wall cavities identified during the inspection. No spraying was carried out in the classrooms. Outside, a barrier spray was applied to the entire foundation perimeter of the school building. An outdoor insect treatment also covered the areas adjacent to the exterior doors and the adjoining green spaces where several nests had been located in the ground.
Sealing work and institutional prevention measures
The day after the chemical intervention, our technician caulked the priority entry points : replacing the worn door seals under the busiest exterior doors, sealing cracks in the concrete of the basement and sealing the cable ducts in the cafeteria walls. A detailed report listing other entry points requiring longer-term repairs was provided to the principal for planning with the school board’s maintenance department. Preventive instructions have been given to cafeteria staff: systematic cleaning of tables and floors after each service, airtight management of food scraps and frequent washing of the recycling bins.
Healthy Space Tracking and Certification
Two follow-up visits were made in the weeks following the procedure. From the first visit, the ants’ activity had decreased sharply in the cafeteria. On the second visit, no active tracks were visible throughout the building. A certificate of intervention was given to the management to document the work carried out. For other achievements of our team in institutional or residential contexts, consult our realization in house ants in another context of the South Shore. School buildings, due to their large size, the presence of several food sources and the high level of use, present particular challenges in terms of pest management. An annual maintenance contract allows the management of the establishment to benefit from planned preventive visits and priority interventions if necessary, without any mobilization delay. Our extermination services in Quebec cover all the municipalities of the South Shore, from Saint-Constant to Delson, Candiac and neighboring cities, for institutions and individuals.