Down here in the Southlands, ants are simply a part of life. Anywhere you go you’re likely going to see at least a few. And there are dozens of species that call this place home. Some are from here, some are not, and some are legitimate threats to humans and animals. That’s why today we’ll discuss a few different types of New Port Richey Ants and a few methods of preventing an infestation.
New Port Richey Ants: Overview
There is a myriad of ant species in the U.S. And the south has it even worse, with many invaders alongside the natives. Ant species come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have a similar structure within their nests. Queens, workers, and males. The queens are the fertile females responsible for laying all the eggs in the colony. Workers are wingless females that defend, gather, and maintain the nest. They also do not reproduce. Male ants have wings, and they exist only to mate with the queens during the swarming process.
The ant life cycle has four distinct stages. First, a female ant that mates with a swarming male will become a queen and start laying eggs. They select a sheltered place to begin their colonies and start to pop out eggs. Then, after roughly two weeks the grubs emerge. These grubs are legless, white ant larvae. They eat voraciously, and the adults spend most of their time feeding these larvae.
After this stage, the larvae molts and sheds their skin. The ant then enters the pupal stage. They appear similar to adults, except their legs and antennae are folded in against their bodies. They darken in color as they age, and maybe housed in a protective cocoon while they develop. Finally, the ant comes out of the cocoon as an adult. When they emerge they are fully grown. Still, they are lighter in color and darken as they age. Those adults then begin to seek out food and material for the nest and to feed the next generation of larvae.
New Port Richey Ants: The Species
Now let’s look into some of the common species of ants you’ll find in and around Central Florida.
Ghost Ants
One of the most common New Port Richey ants you’ll find out there is the ghost ant. They get their name from their tiny size and the paleish color of their legs and abdomen. At a glance, they are difficult to see. They have dark heads and are only a little over a millimeter long. They’ve been in the south and central Florida for a few years now. And their small size and muted colors make them easily transported in plants, crates, boxes, and even second-hand furniture.
The ghost ant eats honeydew that they collect from plant-feeding insects. They tend to aphids to collect this usually. The workers also gather insects and other meals for the colony. When indoors, they usually prefer sweets like baked good crumbs and candy.
Ghost ants enter homes by making nests indoors, usually in flowerpots, inside wall voids, or behind baseboards. They can split into several nests, making a ghost ant infestation particularly difficult to deal with. They can also enter your home by trailing utility lines or following tree limbs and shrubs that touch the house.
Thankfully, ghost ants do not sting and usually don’t bite. Even when they bite, due to their small size they result in little pain and very little evidence of the bite. They can still become a serious pest though, mostly due to their colony splitting. They prefer sweets but will eat any foods left out for them.
Sugar ants
Sugar ant is the common name used to describe any small ant that’s attracted to sweet. However, that is one specific species known as the sugar ant. They raise from two to fifteen millimeters in size. Winged males are completely black, while the more common worker females are orange.
These ants are very similar to ghost ants when you consider their diets, preferring mostly small insects and sugary sweets. In the wild, they live in forests and prefer places like holes in wood, rocks, soil, and the twigs of trees and shrubs.
Acrobat ants
Next on our list of New Port Richey ants is the acrobat ant. They get their name from their habit of raising their abdomens above their heads, especially when disturbed. Their abdomens are heart shaped, and they range about five millimeters in length. They have a unique defense system in which they emit an unpleasant odor when disturbed.
Acrobat ants often nest in wood damaged by termites or carpenter ants. They clean out the galleries of other insects and then colonize them. They’ve even been seen pushing out dirt and wood scraps to make it tidier. Because of this, homeowners often confuse them for a termite infestation.
These ants get inside several ways. Obviously, gaps in the walls and damaged rubber around windows and the bottom doors are easy enough for them to walk right into. Workers can also follow tree limbs, shrubs, and foliage that touch the house.
And once again, like many home infesting ants, these ants prefer a sugary sweet diet. To prevent acrobat ants, and honestly most small species of sweet-loving ants, make sure to trim shrubs and tree limbs so that they’re not in direct contact with your home. Block attic vents and repair damaged window screens. Move firewood piles away from the house as well, because that’s a recipe for not only small ants but termites.
New Port Richey Ants: What to do when infested?
Honestly, ant colonies are massive and complex things. You could try ant poisoning them yourself, but their rapid reproduction means that improper use of poison will breed insecticide resistant ants. Instead, it’s better to call a professional to come out and deal with it. It takes training and resources to be able to locate and exterminate large colonies of ants. Instead, simply keep your home clean and well maintained, and you’ll likely avoid any large infestations in the first place.
