Ant Identification & Prevention

Most of the world’s ants thrive in tropical environments, making Florida a place in the United States that is home to many different types of ants. Ants are small, social insects; they live in large colonies and work together as a group. Ants are pests that regularly find their way to our properties where they forage for food, maintain multiple nesting sites, and quickly become a nuisance and sometimes a danger.

Some of the most common ants living in Cape Coral are:

• Crazy ants
• Fire ants
• Ghost ants
• White-footed ants

While ants can look similar (three body segments, narrow waist, bent antennae, and six legs), each species vary slightly in appearance and behaviors, which helps to identify them. Partnering with a pest control expert to pinpoint the species of the ants on your property and their nesting sites is critical to controlling and eliminating these pests. Reach out to us today for pest and lawn care services in Cape Coral!

Most ants we encounter or that find their way onto our properties are not dangerous. In general, ants tend to be more annoying than harmful. However, some ants pose dangers to people by biting, stinging, and spreading harmful pathogens, and can cause damage to the structures of our homes. Nuisance and dangerous ants alike are capable of causing the following problems:

• Contaminating food
• Contaminating surfaces with bacteria and parasites
• Invading indoor spaces (houses, garages, sheds) in large numbers
• Making people uncomfortable in their own homes

When you call Florida home, it is always recommended that you take preventive action to guard your home, yard, and family against unwanted ants.

If ants have decided that your yard or home provides them with a suitable habitat to build a nest or offers them reliable places to forage for food, they will quickly become a problem. Unfortunately for us, most of our Cape Coral yards provide ants with those basic needs. Ants will forage for food in our gardens, outdoor eating spaces, bird feeders (especially hummingbird feeders), and trashcans. They will nest in our yards, flowerbeds, the soil under sidewalks, yard debris, fallen trees, and mulch.

In addition to food and shelter, moisture and water sources also attract ants to our properties. Many ants like to nest with water-damaged pieces of wood and areas of damp soil. Other ants, like fire ants, that like to nest in open sunny areas, still require reliable water sources and will take advantage of dripping hoses, faucets, and air conditioners.

Ants are insects that are active during the day. The worker ants leave their nest to forage for food to bring back to the colony members. In Florida, where temperatures are warm year-round, ants are constantly active and regularly seen trailing over sidewalks, throughout the grass in parks and our yards, and, if we are unlucky, traveling over our kitchen counters and floors.

Ants typically like to nest outside but sometimes use our homes as nesting sites. Our houses offer ants safe shelter and an escape from harsh weather conditions. Places our professionals regularly discover ants nests within Cape Coral homes include:

• Wall voids
• Vents
• Large pieces of electrical equipment
• Behind baseboards and wooden trim
• Inside pieces of structural wood
• Attics

Call us immediately if you ever become suspicious that ants are nesting within your home or have discovered their nesting mounds in your yard.

Ants are part of the ecosystem and live outside all around us. Partnering with the professionals is the best way to keep them out of our homes and stop them from taking over our yards. The professionals at Coastal Lawn and Pest are here to help you identify the ants on your property and perform the effective, state-of-the-art treatments that will eliminate them.

Our ant pest control treatments are designed to meet the unique needs of property owners in Florida. We will work with you and take action to help you maintain an ant-free property. Contact us today so we can get started helping you to get rid of ants.

Use the following ant prevention tips to stop these insects from taking over your Cape Coral property.

• Inspect the perimeter of your house and seal any cracks in its foundation, exterior walls, and roof line.
• Keep gutters clean, ensure your lawn has good drainage, and fill in low-lying areas to reduce excess moisture on your property.
• Repair leaky pipes and faucets within your home.
• Keep food in your home sealed in air-tight containers or the refrigerator.
• In your home, quickly wipe up spills and crumbs and vacuum regularly.

For more information about effective home pest control and lawn care in Florida and how to keep ants away from your property, please get in touch with us today.