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Springtime is officially here. It’s time to plant the gardens and get ready for barbeques and warm weather. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The ants of Florida will be back as well. So today, let’s discuss some of Florida’s ant issues and what species to keep an eye open for in your home.
Florida Ant Exterminator: Are ants in central Florida a problem?
The state of Florida has long struggled with ant issues from the pan handle to Miami. The state holds some of the most diversity and highest number of this pest insect in the union. Each one presents it’s own unique characteristics, behaviors, and control issues. That’s because Florida’s subtropical climate is consistently warm, rainy, and humid- just the way ants like it.
‘And since these ants come from very competitive ecosystems, they reach the U.S. and plant stakes and start spreading like wildfire. They invade local homes looking for food and thrive year-round thanks to our mild, frostless winters. While native species are part of the natural cycle and beneficial for the ecosystem, these invasive species are replacing them at a rapid rate and proving themselves to be difficult pests to deal with in the home.
Now let’s start getting into a few of the pest species that may have you needing a Florida ant exterminator this spring and summer.
Florida Ant Exterminator: Do fire ants infest homes?
In Florida, fire ants are more than just a nuisance. They’re hardy pests who’s presence has been felt across the entire southern U.S.
These ants originated in Brazil and have spread far beyond their native habitat. They’re relatively small, measuring under half an inch in length. They’re reddish-brown pests with a brownish-black abdomen. They tend to build their mounds in open, sunny fields either flat on the ground or near posts or wooden structures. Their ground-based nests are called ant piles colloquially and can be roughly two feet in diameter. Their hills, when built near posts or other structures, can jut over a foot out of the ground. Like termites, fire ants can consume cellulose and damage wooden structures.
Fire ants are one of the few pest species in Florida that are a genuine threat to human life, especially young children. Nothing will make you need a Florida ant exterminator than a young toddler accidentally disturbing a nest. Fire ants are the most aggressive species you’ll find in Florida, they lock onto any perceived threat or prey with their mandibles and sting repeatedly. Fire ants carry an alkaline and peptide mix in their venom. And up to five percent of fire ant attacks, five people in every hundred, can be lethal. Hypersensitive individuals who get stung MUST seek immediate medical attention. Small pets and young livestock are also at great risk of fire ant attacks.
However, there are a few other common species that can infest Florida homes.
Ghost ants
Ghost ants are a highly mobile species of ant. And despite their size, so tiny that they’re hard to see, they can be a massive challenge to get rid of in Florida homes. Even an experienced Florida ant exterminator must be cautious and thorough. They’re only a few millimeters in length, and have dark heads with yellow to cream colored abdomens and legs. They’re often confused with other ant species, such as sugar ants or pharaoh ants.
Ghost ants are tricky to deal with because of many factors. But one of the main ones is something they do called budding. This occurs when reproductive females, accompanied by workers and young ants, leave their old nest in search of a new one. So you can have several colonies that can reach thousands of individuals in different areas of your homes, and they’ll just keep splitting off and multiplying until they fill every corner and nook that they can.
These ants can be found searching for sugary foods and similar meals. They’ll infest open bags of sugar, uncovered fruits, or anything else that you leave out that’s sweet. And when crushed, the emit a scent that is described as similar to a rotten coconut.
carpenter ants
Carpenter ants are another destructive species of ant pest that cause many issues in Florida homes. These are large, dark colored insects that don’t feed on wood directly like fire ants or termites. However, they do excavate to create nests for their broods. They seek out moisture-damaged wood to establish their colonies in and are a very social species of insect. A colony is composed of a single queen and thousands of workers. Like ghost ants, this species can create satellite nests hundreds of feet away.
These are omnivorous pests and feed on other insects, honeydew, fruits, and plant juices. Indoors, they forage for water, usually from spills or leaky pipes, and sugary foods like mentioned above. Having these pests in your home usually means that you have a moisture problem somewhere in your walls or under your sinks, as they need damaged wood to create nests.
Florida carpenter ants are the most common type to infest Florida homes, and are black headed and red bodies.
Florida Ant Exterminator: How do I keep ants out of my home?
When it comes to ant species that call Florida home, some of the most proactive things you can do are basic home maintenance.
For starters, ants won’t come inside if there’s nothing for them to eat or drink. Make sure to clean up spills and crumbs as soon as they’re dropped, and fix leaky pipes.
Exclusion is another great way to keep them from coming inside. Trim branches that overhang your house, repair insect exclusion screens, and make sure you close gaps around utility pipes that run into the walls of your home.
But if you already have an ant issue, make sure to contact a professional as soon as you can. Ants are a rapidly breeding and spreading pest, and dealing with them alone is certainly not recommended without the proper tools and training.
