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Ants are on the rise all over Florida. From the iconic invasive fire ants, to the nearly invisible ghost ant. If you’re a homeowner in Orlando you’ll probably have to deal with at least one issue in your homeowning life regarding ants! So let’s get into Orlando ant control today, and what species you should be on the lookout for.
Orlando Ant Control: Are the ants bad in Orlando?
In Florida, we have a pest problem from the panhandle all the way to Miami. We live in a subtropical, wet, and warm environment. And these days, winter hardly gets cold enough for pest insects to go dormant. And now a days, almost never cold enough to actually force them to die back.
Combine that with massive human traffic from our tourism and shipping industries, and you have a recipe to have ants from all over the world land in our state and thrive. The fire ant, like I mentioned earlier, is from South America! Though they’re ubiquitous with the Southeastern U.S. these days, they only arrived here in the early nineteen hundreds on a shipping rout. And once here, like any species of ant, they thrived.
This can also be in part thanks to our Agriculture industry. Ants thrive in huge monocultures that see tons of fertilizer spread across them. In fact, most old barns you’ll see in the state have at least one species of ant crawling through the hay and giving the animals hell. It’s a simple fact of life down here, Florida is ant central.
Orlando Ant Control: What species of ants live in Florida?
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty of what species of ant you can expect to contend with. We’ll start off with the one already mentioned a few times in the article, because they’re a really special case.
Florida Fire ants
Fire ants are a massively human adjacent pest in Florida. They favor warm, sunny areas and are less fond of moisture and humidity than some other species of ants. Because of this, they prefer dry fields and lawns and avoid heavily shaded areas and wounds. Infested nursery plants and grass sod being used in the home’s landscaping are both major ways that this pest reaches peoples homes.
They’re a serious contender for worst ant in Florida because of a few behaviors. Most notably, this is an extremely aggressive species of ant. When they attack, they use their jaws grip their prey and then will sting them again and again to inject their alkaline venom into whatever their target is. . Fire ant stings are painful for most humans and fatal to some: if a victim experiences a severe reaction such as sweating, nausea or excessive itching, emergency medical services should be contacted immediately.
Their stingis highly irritating to humans and results in red bumps and white pustules, which can ultimately lead to scarring. The sensation of a fire ant burn has been described as “stinging” and “intense burning,” and fire ants are known to attack potential threats or prey in large numbers. A fire ant colony may contain 100,000 to 500,000 insects, thus increasing the likelihood that multiple stings will be inflicted.
These ants typically nest in the ground. The nest of a fire ant is either a visible mound of dirt that’s about a foot to two feet in diameter and flat on the ground, or a large and high tunnel that’s against a structure or post. These ants eat anything they can get their hands on, from discarded hard candy to vegetables to carrion. A fire ant infestation will absolutely need some Orlando ant control!
Ghost ants
Ghost ants are another big problem in Florida. These ants are less commonly known than fire ants. But, that doesn’t make them any less of an issue. Their heads and thorax are dark brown, but their abdomen and legs are milky white- making them hard to see on most backgrounds. They’re usually only about a millimeter in length as well, adding to their near invisible qualities.
Ghost ants get their common name from the fact that they are very hard to see due to their pale color and tiny size. They are a tropical species, probably of African or Asian origin. In the United States, ghost ants are found primarily in central and southern Florida and Hawaii. This type of ant is unable to survive in the northern states except in greenhouses and heated spaces.
Ghost ants often enter homes by trailing along branches of trees and shrubs in direct contact with the structure. To prevent a ghost ant infestation, homeowners should keep shrubbery trimmed, ensure branches are cut back, leaf litter and debris is removed, and store firewood at least 20 feet away from the home.
Orlando Ant Control: How to keep ants out of the house in Florida
Ant control is complex and multi-step. If you already have an infestation you’re dealing with, make sure to contact a pest control expert as soon as you can. Ants are mobile, smart, and hardy. Very few layman will be able to get rid of an already established ant colony.
But step one to getting that ant issue under control is fastidious cleaning. Whether it’s a sticky drip of honey down the side of a jar or a stray spoon in the sink, there’s always a source. Clean up whatever has attracted your new tenants, and if you’re lucky, they just might move out on their own.
Maintaining your yard and excluding ants with simple home maintenence steps helps as well. Make sure weather stripping and screens are well maintained and hold up to the weathering of time. Pipes for utilities that go into your home through the walls are another big highway for ants to come into your home.
