Ants
Ant control Hero Pest Solutions
Ant control Hero Pest Solutions
Ant control Hero Pest Solutions
Ant control Hero Pest Solutions
Ants are the most common pest in South Florida. There are over 1000 species of ants in the US and over 600 species in Florida!
Every species of ant is unique in its own way. They can differ in appearance, what they eat, where they nest, how they forage, (collect food), colony size, number of queens in each colony, how they defend themselves, and much more.
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Knowing the difference is key in determining your specific plan to eradicate them. An ant that is sweet-feeding (cakes, cookies, sugar, fruit, etc.) will require a different treatment than an ant that is protein-feeding (dead insects/animals, dog food, garbage, etc.).
Below is a list of the 7 most common ants found in South Florida, and how difficult each can be to eliminate/prevent. Use this reference to help identify your specific ant problem.
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Ghost Ants
Difficulty to control: EASY
Actual Size: < 1/4 inch
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Food: Sweet
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Appearance: Dark head and body, translucent, (usually milky colored), abdomen. Can appear white on dark surfaces and black on white surfaces.
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Colony size: 1,000-2,000
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Commonly found: Trailing in kitchen or bathroom, near sweet foods like cakes, cookies, or coffee.
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Commonly called "sugar ants", "piss ants", or "no-see-ums".
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Named "Ghost Ant" because of its translucent abdomen.
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Very communal ant. Shares most food foraged with colony and queen.
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Easy to eliminate initially, but can be pesky and continue to return.
Difficulty to control: HARD
White-footed Black Ants
Actual Size: 1/2 - 3/4 inch
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Food: Sweet
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Appearance: Dark head, body, and abdomen. Has white legs/feet but cannot be seen with the naked eye.
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Colony size: 8,000-3,000,000
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Commonly found: Trailing around the perimeter of the home, inside of kitchen/bathroom.
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Very invasive species of ant.
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Known for the huge population in their colonies.
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Each colony has multiple queens.
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Not native to Florida. Thought to originate in the Caribbean. Have only been in South Florida as early as 2001.
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Very difficult to control initially, nearly impossible to control without a professional's help.
Big Headed Ants
Difficulty to control: EASY
Actual Size: 1/8 - 1/4 inch
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Food: Protein, some sweet
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Appearance: Reddish-brown. One class has a noticeably enlarged head, giving them their name. Also part of a group of ants called "paver ants", their hills can be spotted in driveways under concrete or paver stones, protruding through cracks or gaps.
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Colony size: 10,000-50,000
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Commonly found: Outside: hills can be found under pavers or concrete, protruding through cracks in concrete or along the edge of a home/driveway. Inside: hills can be found along baseboards or coming through cracks in the floor.
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Known for their distinct ant hills.
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Named "Big Headed Ant" because of some of their enlarged heads.
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'Polygyne' ant: Can have multiple colonies with multiple queens.
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Small numbers are easily manageable, but multiple colonies can be very difficult to control.
Difficulty to control: EASY
Black Crazy Ants
Actual Size: 1/4 - 1/2 inch
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Food: Protein
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Appearance: Black
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Colony size: 2,000-5,000
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Commonly found: Outside near garbage with rotting fruit/meat. Pet food and dead animals/insects also attract them.
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Called "crazy" because of their erratic and rapid movement.
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They do not trail each other closely like most ants.
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Mostly an outdoor pest, but can attempt to nest indoors.
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Small numbers in their colonies make this ant pretty easy to manage.
Caribbean Crazy Ants
AKA Tawny Ants
Actual Size: 1/4 - 1/2 inch
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Food: Protein
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Appearance: Golden-brown or reddish-brown.
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Colony size: 10,000-3,000,000+
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Commonly found: Outside, piled up dead against walls or doors. Can make their way inside, usually piling up dead against baseboards or windows.
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Known for their massive colony size, making controlling this ant difficult.
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They pile up dead in such large numbers, they are commonly misidentified as dirt.
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First wrongly identified in the late 90s in South Florida as a 'Caribbean crazy ant', which it's still commonly known as.
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In the mid-2000s, was found in Texas and was identified as a new species of ant, renamed the 'Rasberry Ant'.
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In the 2010s, it was found that both the 'Caribbean crazy ant' found in South Florida and the 'Rasberry ant' found in Texas were the same ant, the Tawny Ant, originally native to South America.
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Today, the only places this ant is found in the US is South Florida and Texas.
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The size of the colonies makes this ant very difficult to treat/prevent, and is near impossible to manage without professional help.
Difficulty to control: HARD
Difficulty to control: HARD
Actual Size: 1/2 - 1 inch
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Food: Protein and sweet feeding
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Appearance: Black, red, or black-red
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Colony size: 2,000-10,000
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Commonly found: In and around damaged wood. This can include water damage inside, termite damage, a fallen/damaged tree, attic wood, etc.
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Biggest ant in size in South Florida.
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Usually most active from dusk to early evening.
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Uses splinters of damaged wood as their home. While they don't cause the initial damage, their activity can cause more damage to the wood.
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Known to have a painful bite.
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Difficult to control: Their size makes them a very strong and resilient ant. They also live inside wood, which protects them from predators and sprays.
Carpenter Ants
Fire Ants
Difficulty to control: HARD
Actual Size: 1/4 - 1/2 inch
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Food: Protein (insects or small animals they kill)
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Appearance: Reddish-brown or bright red.
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Colony size: 10,000-250,000
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Commonly found: Outside only. Mounds and hills are commonly found in grassy areas.
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They have a painful sting they use in defense. The stinger is located on their abdomen. They release venom that can be very painful.
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They can hunt and kill their prey by stinging them. Common prey includes small animals like mice or birds, or larger insects like roaches.
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Known for their large ant mounds commonly found in grass.
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Difficult to control and prevent.
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Not seeing your ant? You may have termites! Check out the differences here