Ant Control in Clearwater, Largo & St. Petersburg

Acrobat Ant workers are about 2.5-2.8 mm long with a heart-shaped abdomen which they will flip over their back when irritated making it appear as they are doing handstands, hence their name. They mainly feed on honeydew and other insects. Rarely an interior pest.

Argentine Ant workers are 2.2-2.8 mm in length and vary from a light brown to dark brown color. Colonies can be millions of ants per colony with multiple colonies overlapping in one area forming a supercolony. They feed on everything from honeydew to other insects. Control of these ants may be unachievable.

Big Headed Ants have two different size workers that range from 1.5-4.5 mm long. The major worker or soldier ant has an extremely large head, hence the name. these are a supercolony ant with multiple colonies that spread out over entire neighborhoods. They feed on everything from sugars, carbohydrates, and protein which include honeydew, seeds, and other insects. Control of this ant may be unachievable.

Carpenter ants mainly c. floridannus are found in our area here in Florida. They are a very large ant, up to half an inch, and red and black in color. The size and color depend on how well developed the colony is. They are nocturnal with their peak hours being from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM, but can be seen out on certain days if the weather is right. They have one main colony with several satellite colonies. They do not attack sound wood, they only get into areas with excessive moisture and/or where there are termites, as termites are one of their favorite foods. They will also feed on anything from dead insects to animals and honeydew.

Crazy ants are dark brown to black in color with long slender bodies and extraordinarily long legs. They can be 2-2.3 mm in length and move around in an erratic fashion when scouting for food, hence the name crazy ant. Colonies are usually small with about 2000 workers and 40 queens. There can be multiple Crazy Ant colonies in one area and they can travel long distances to find food. Crazy Ants feed almost on anything from dead and dying insects to honeydew.

Ghost Ants have a translucent abdomen. They may have many colonies in a structure anywhere from 100 to over 1000 ants per colony with multiple queens. They primarily feed on sugars, certain oils, and greases, preferring liquid food, but will feed on dead and dying insects as well.

Little black ants are 1.5-2 mm long, and are black. These ants can form heavy populations with several queens. Indoors they can feed on a variety of foods including sweets, meats, breads, oils, cornmeal, fruits, and fruit juices. On the exterior, they feed on other insects, honeydew, plant exudes, pollen, and have been known to kill hatch-ling birds.

Odorous house ant workers are about 2.4-3.3 mm long, and they are a uniform brown to black in color. When crushed they smell like rotten coconuts. There can be anywhere from 15 to 30 workers or up to 500,000 with multiple queens and multiple colonies. They may move their colonies inside and out depending on the time of year and feeding habits. Indoors, their nests are usually associated with moisture like around plumbing, wood damaged by termites, and under toilets. They feed on sweets, honeydew, live, and dead insects.

Pharaoh ant workers are about 2 mm long, and they are yellowish to light brown to reddish with the tip of their gaster being darker. They forage day and night and go often unseen due to their cryptic habits. They feed on fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. They scavenge and kill small insects. They usually have multiple colonies inside and out of a structure. These ants can be very difficult to control.

Red imported ant workers are 1.6 to 5 mm long. They are usually uniform dark to reddish-brown. Queens can lay hundreds of eggs per day. Known for their huge mounds and painful stings, these ants will feed on just about anything. Their venom contains piperidines, which cause a burning sensation, and proteins that can cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock in less than 1% of the population.

Thief ant workers are small, about 1.5 – 2.2 mm long. Their color ranges from yellow to brown. They nest close to other large ants, steal their food, and prey upon the other ants larvae. The colonies may have hundreds to a few thousand ants. They feed on fire ant queens, other insects, damage plants and seeds for their oils, and dead rats and mice. This makes these ants a carrier for disease and poultry tapeworms.

White footed ant workers are 2.7 mm long. They have white-tipped feet and antennas. Colonies are composed of many satellite colonies strung together over a large area. Colonies can grow to over several million workers. There are so many ants in the colony, they can wear the paint off the side of the house where they trail. Every third ant can start a new colony at any time, anywhere. They feed on honeydew but will feed on other insects and protein-based food. Control can be very difficult to achieve.