What do we have here? Tiny little ants scurrying around your kitchen like they own the place? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Ants are extremely common nuisance pests here in Florida, with most species being active year-round. Check out our complete guide to Florida ants to learn more about identifying different types of ants. In this blog post, we’ll learn all about tiny ants, what they are, and how to prevent them!
What are tiny ants?
In Florida, ghost ants are typically the culprit when you find a group of tiny ants! Ghost ants have light white, almost translucent abdomens and legs, and are approximately 1/16” in length (only about the size of a pinhead). It can be hard to get a look at them with the naked eye. These miniature menaces are attracted to food, moisture, and warmth, and are very common here in Florida. Ready to hunt some ghosts? Let’s go over identifying and preventing ghost ants.
Why do I have ghost ants in my home?
Like most pests, ghost ants are attracted to food, moisture, and warmth. They have a serious sweet tooth and are attracted to foods that are sweet, high in protein, or greasy, such as soda or sweet drinks, syrups, and food crumbs. They’re also called sugar ants due to their love of sweets.
You’re most likely to find them haunting kitchens, bathrooms, inside potted plants, or nesting in wall voids, baseboards, and cabinets. They can even infest food packages if they’re not properly sealed. Ghost ants are also attracted to moist areas with access to water, such as bathrooms, basements, greenhouses, kitchens, or around leaky appliances.
How can I get rid of ghost ants?
If you’re finding ghost ants inside your home, that means you have an entry point somewhere. If you see a line of small ants, try following them back to the entry point. This could be around doors, windows, utility pipes, and wire entry areas. Check both the interior and exterior of your house. Depending on the entry point, you can seal it using caulk, steel wool, wire mesh, or weather stripping to prevent future pest break-ins.
In older homes, it may not be possible to have a perfect seal around your house. So follow these tips to make your home less inviting for ghost ants:
- Keep your kitchen clean by wiping down counters and sweeping/mopping floors.
- Clean up food spills and crumbs right away.
- Don’t keep food out and store snacks in airtight containers.
- Fix leaky pipes and reduce moisture in your home.
- Use natural repellents like vinegar, cinnamon, peppermint oil, or essential oils to deter pests.
Other kinds of tiny ants in Florida
Ghost ants are the most common type of small ant in Florida, but here’s some other kinds of ants you could run into:
- Pharaoh ants: These ants are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long with light yellow to reddish-brown almost transparent bodies and darker abdomens. They have lighter heads and thoraxes with darker abdomens compared to ghost ants.
- Little black ants: Their name says it all. These ants are about 1/16 inch long, and are dark brown to black in color with a shiny appearance. They prefer to nest outdoors, but you might find them in wall voids, under carpeting, and within woodwork indoors.
- Argentine ants: They are 1/8 inch in length, light to dark brown in color, with a slightly darker abdomen, and emit a musty odor when crushed. They are an invasive species in Florida and can be found in kitchens and bathrooms.
Whether you’re dealing with ghost ants or any of these tiny ant troublemakers, give us a call to help. We can schedule an inspection to get a good look at your house and create an ant control plan of action to keep pests out. We ain’t afraid of no ghost (ants)!
