Common Ant Species in Southwestern Florida

Florida is home to a wide variety of ant species. Identifying the proper one can help your pest control specialist find a control solution appropriate for your infestation.

Acrobat Ants

Acrobat ants have two nodes on their heads and are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. These ants live primarily throughout the Eastern United States, they nest in damaged wood, and they will sting if threatened, although they do not typically invade indoors. Acrobat ants vary in color from light brown to reddish black to entirely black.

Argentine Ant

This little bugger originated in Argentina as an invasive pest that quickly builds large colonies. They love living indoors and are fairly small and black, with long antennas. Worker Argentine ants can grow between 2.2 and 2.8 millimeters and are all various shades of brown. Fortunately, these ants are not able to sting, but they emit a musty smell when stepped on. Argentine ants are usually found throughout the Southeastern United States and Hawaii.

Argentine ants forage in restaurants, offices, stores, homes, and any other location where food and water are available. These ants usually nest in the soil next to buildings. They may make nests in wall voids or in the soil of house plants. Once inside, the ants feed on syrups, sugar, honey, and meat.

Asian Needle Ants

With worker ants growing to about 5 millimeters long, Asian needle ants are slightly bigger than many other species of ants. They are brownish-black and have orange mandibles. They usually prefer warmer, more humid climates, and can be found in shady areas throughout Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. They are not typically aggressive, but they will sting if they feel threatened and may even swarm, occasionally putting people into anaphylactic shock.

Big-Headed Ant

It's hard to miss this one: its head is unusually large and its color is light brown to dark brown. Thankfully, they don't usually live indoors, but they will make their home near sidewalks and other areas. Due to their size, their pincers hurt more than most ant bites.

Caribbean Crazy Ant

This invasive ant is named because of its odd and erratic foraging behavior, as they seem almost aimless or lost when seen in the wild. They are usually light gold-brown and live along sidewalks and in trees. These are hard to eliminate, due to their penchant for colonies with multiple queens. These ants have huge colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

They are often seen in wide trails moving fast along sidewalks, driveways, and buildings and running up and down tree trunks. Workers will forage in homes and other structures. 

Carpenter Ants

Florida carpenter ants nest in wood that has already been damaged by termites or decay. They do not eat wood, but excavate galleries to tend their young, leaving behind coarse sawdust.

Carpenter ants are known for causing structural damage to buildings by chewing through wooden beams. There are many different varieties of carpenter ants, but most of them are between 6 and 13 millimeters long. These should be exterminated as soon as possible before they cause severe damage to homes and buildings.

Dark Rover Ants

Dark rover ants are small, about 1.6 millimeters, and are dark brown. These ants are known for searching houses for food and drinks, especially sweet foods and drinks. They are found in the Southeastern United States and live in large colonies. Although they do not sting, they can spread diseases and contaminate food if allowed to roam free.

Fire Ant

Dark red in color and aggressive, they can attack and kill small animals en masse. Their painful sting can actually be deadly to people who are allergic to their venom. While they prefer hidden nests, they will build mounds when necessary.

Ghost Ant

Very pale in color (with their front black and the back white), these ants are usually very easy to spot. They like building indoors behind baseboards and inside your walls. They are often hungry and are regularly spotted near food sources.

Ghost ants are one of the smallest ant species. Workers measure only one-twentieth of an inch (1.3 mm to 1.5 mm) long. The ghost ant thrives in our semi-tropical climate and will nest indoors and outdoors.

White-footed Ants

White-footed ants have become an established and prevalent pest ant in South Florida. Their colonies are usually large containing multiple nests with individual ants ranging from thousands to millions. Nests are mostly found outdoors but this ant often forages inside, especially in kitchens and bathrooms searching for new food sources. Nests may also be found indoors in attics and wall voids.

White-footed ants are often seen foraging on trunks or branches of trees and shrubs searching for nectar or sap-sucking insects that produce honeydew. Big-headed ants are soil-nesting ants and are sometimes confused with subterranean termites because they also create similar debris-covered foraging mud tubes that may be visible on the trunks of trees when these ants are present. These ants leave piles of loose sandy soil and often forage in kitchens, bathrooms, and around doors and windows.

Get Help From Venice Pest Control

Do-it-yourself extermination methods are confusing, time-consuming, and ineffective. Venice Pest Control is here to help you get rid of your pest problem for good. Our experienced professionals take care of the entire process of eliminating pests to give you peace of mind. We have been operating in the Venice, Florida area for almost 50 years. Contact us today to learn more about our services and to get a free quote!