The Lakeland area has been growing at a neck-break pace over the past few years. And if you’re a new resident of Florida and renting an apartment in the area for the first time, you’ve likely had issues with pests in your home. In particular, many new area homeowners and renters have noticed their newly constructed homes sitting on top of massive ant colonies. So today we’ll talk about Lakeland ant control, and signs you need to be on the look out for to see if the Lakeland Ant Exterminator needs to swing by your home or business.
Lakeland Ant Exterminator: How bad are the ants in Lakeland Florida?
The story of Florida is a story told with lots of pests. It’s just a simple fact of life down here. The Sunshine State has plenty of bugs! And ants in Lakeland are no exception. Let’s touch on a few of the reasons why.
Number one is the environment of Florida. Our sunny peninsula has been home to bugs since it rose from the sea millions of years ago. The climate is sunny, warm, and subtropical. And the winters these days don’t even get cold enough for frost on the ground once or twice a year. That means bugs in Florida don’t have a season where they have to go dormant, and almost never experience conditions cold enough to reduce their numbers.
And then, with mixed-use housing or apartment complexes, the problem becomes multi-faceted. People attract pests; it’s a simple fact of life. And when you have half the state being mowed down to turn into condos, hotels, motels, or apartments, you’ll have a lot of displaced bugs. These bugs will flock to homes, garbage cans, dumpsters, and anywhere else they can find food or shelter. And your home or business is likely just as appealing to an ant as any other! So now let’s get into some of the ant species you can find in central Florida and the Lakeland area that may have you needing help from a Lakeland Ant Exterminator.
Lakeland Ant Exterminator: What kind of ants are common in Central Florida?
In central Florida, there are two main ants you’ll run into as a homeowner that give you the biggest headaches. So, let’s touch on some of the usual suspects for the Lakeland ant exterminator in this neck of the woods, starting with probably the most famous ant in the South.
The REd Imported Fire ant
The name above may confuse you slightly. Because if you’re like me, then you’ve probably only ever heard of them referred to as fire ants for most of your life. But that’s perhaps back before you knew they were invasive, huh? That’s right, the fire ant you think of when I say fire ant isn’t actually from here. The three-segmented body ant with a copper head and black abdomen you’re thinking of actually didn’t arrive until the last century from South America in shipping containers. Since then, it has spread across the entire southern United States, from the east coast to California.
These ants get their name from their vicious, stinging venom. When a fire ant colony is disturbed in any way, these ants will swarm out of the entrance like military soldiers. Anything they target will be grabbed by individual ants who hold on with powerful mandibles while stabbing with their abdominal stinger as many times as they can into their target. In fact, their poison may attract more ants to come and sting! But either way, the ant will not let go until it or their enemy is dead. This behavior can be dangerous to human life.
Their bites contain and alkaline poison. Very young and very old people have a real threat of going into shock when stung by enough ants. Symptoms can include brain fog, uneasiness, shaky hands, and eventually cardiac arrest. Fire ant infestations in your home can be one of the most serious you can get.
Ghost ants
Once again, up next is an exotic species from South America. This time, aggression isn’t the issue however. Instead, its just how hard it is to see these ants. Ghost ants are tiny, usually only around a millimeter in length. Because of this, combined with its milky white coloration, Ghost Ants can establish multiple colonies in your home before you even notice that they’re there.
Not only that, but these ants are prolific at building new colonies. Multiple times a year Ghost Ant colonies will send out a new queen with an escort of workers. When that new colony is established, it will send out workers back to the old one, and the two colonies will form an interconnected super colony. It’s not uncommon for Ghost Ants to move from wall void to wall void, establishing multiple colonies in an individual home! These guys will really have you needing help from the Lakeland Ant Exterminator.
Lakeland Ant Exterminator: Is it possible to keep ants out of my Florida home?
Well, this is a bit of a tricky question. Of course you can lower your risk of ants wandering in. And there’s a few ways you can do that. But most of them center around general cleanliness and upkeep. Things like sealing cracks and repairing damaged window and door screening goes along way. Cleaning dirty dishes and keeping a clean sink and having a well locking trash can lid will also help greatly.
However, ants will seek shelter after things like natural disasters and heavy rains. It’s not uncommon for your home to get damage in a hurricane that let desperate, shelter seeking ants get inside. If you’re truly dealing with an ant infestation, you won’t have much success on your own. Ants numbers can be reduced by these general practices, but you have to have a Lakeland Ant Exterminator you can trust to knock out a real infestation.
So if you’re dealing with an ant infestation and need help today, visit our website at insectfree.com. On the home page you can either call the listed number or fill out our pop up form for a free consultation today. Let Earth’s Best show you why we’ve been trusted in the area for thirty years!
