Ghost Ants
What do Ghost Ants Look Like?
Ghost ants are our number-one nuisance ant found in homes and structures. Ghost ants are tiny ants, approximately 1/16” in length. Their head and thorax are dark and their abdomen and legs are light, almost translucent. This coloration and their small size make them hard to see and earns them their ghostly name.
When are Ghost Ants Most Active?
In Southern Florida and other warm areas, ghost ants remain active all year.
What Attracts Ghost Ants?
Indoors they are attracted to food, moisture, and warmth. They are especially attracted to foods that are sweet, high in protein, or greasy, such as sweet drinks, syrups, and food crumbs. They may even infest packages of these foods if accessible. They’re also attracted to moist areas with access to water, such as bathrooms, basements, greenhouses, kitchens, or leaky appliances.
Where are you likely to find Ghost Ants?
These ants move quickly in a line following their own odor trail and gain entry to interiors through crevices around doors, windows, utility pipes, and wire entry areas. Foragers are often seen indoors on sinks, counters, and floors of kitchens and bathrooms but they are not restricted to those areas. They often move throughout a building via wires in wall voids and under edges of carpeting. Their indoor nests can be in wall voids, between and behind cabinets, and in potted plants. Nests have even been found in spaces between books, folded clothes, and behind loose edges of wallpaper.
Are Ghost Ants Dangerous or Destructive?
No, ghost ants are not dangerous or destructive ants. They are considered a nuisance pest, but they could pose a potential threat to human health by contaminating food.
