Ant Control in West Palm Beach, FL

How can I prevent ants?

• Check the outside of your home carefully and use caulk to seal cracks in the foundation and exterior walls.
• Seal up cracks that have developed in sidewalks, walkways, or your driveway.
• Create a barrier between the soil and your home's foundation.
• Place missing weatherstripping around windows and doors.
• Seal spaces around wires and pipes entering into your home. Place covers over vents.
• Cut tree branches and shrubbery away from your home's exterior.
• Eliminate standing water from your property and repair leaky pipes to get rid of water sources.
• Stop ants from foraging for food in trash cans, recycling bins, and compost bins by keeping locking lids on them.
• Make sure outdoor eating areas are free of leftover food and drink containers.
• Never store food out in the open on counters or tables.
• Remove trash from your home and wash dishes daily.
• Make sure to vacuum regularly and wipe down counters to eliminate crumbs and spills.
• Only eat in the kitchen or dining room of your home to limit crumbs.
• Schedule quarterly preventative pest control applications to be applied to the exterior foundation of your home

What time of year are ants most common in West Palm Beach?

Ant season peaks in West Palm Beach between April and June. But due to the area's warm and humid climate, you can find ants in your home throughout the year.

What types of ants are in West Palm Beach?

The most common species of ants in the West Palm Beach and South Florida areas include ghost ants, fire ants, acrobat ants, Argentine ants, bigheaded ants, and pavement ants. All of these ants, with the exception of fire ants, are considered by many to be sugar ants.

• Ghost ants: Ghost ants are tiny, with average sizes ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 millimeters long. Ghost ants have a dark head and body with a lighter-colored abdomen. The most common areas of homes we treat for ghost ants are near kitchen countertops, sinks, baseboards, and cabinets.
• Fire ants: Fire ants are uniform in color and are reddish-brown. They are a small species of ant, with workers ranging in size from 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch in length. These ants create dome-shaped nests that they furiously protect. Fire ants are very aggressive and will attack any person or animal they view as a threat.
• Acrobat ants: Known for their circus-like antics, you can identify acrobat ants by their ability to hold their heart-shaped abdomen up over the rest of their body. They also emit a foul-smelling odor when they feel threatened.
• Argentine ants: Argentine ants are shiny and dark brown to black in color. Workers grow to about 1/16 of an inch in length. When crushed, they produce an unpleasant musty odor. They live together in extensive colonies and move along in wide trails while foraging for food. Argentine ants are not native and often drive native species of ants out.
• Bigheaded ants: Bigheaded ants are small ants whose workers are either minor workers or major workers. The minor workers' body regions are proportionate in size, whereas the major workers' heart-shaped head is much larger than the rest of the body.
• Pavement ants: Pavement ants are brown to black in color. They are a small species, with adults growing a little over 1/16 of an inch long. Pavement ants invade properties in large numbers and have multiple nesting sites. They like to nest in cracks of sidewalks, pavements, and cement. They also nest in the soil next to foundations.

Do I need to prepare my home for ant control services?

No, we do not require any sort of preparation for ant control services. 

Are ants dangerous?

While any species of ant can find their way into our homes to forage for food, contaminating surfaces with bacteria, the only ants in South Florida with harmful bites are fire ants. Fire ants actually have venom that is strong enough to elicit an allergic reaction that varies from mild to severe, depending on the person.

Fortunately, fire ants usually prefer living outside around yards and landscapes and aren't the most common ants to get inside homes.

How do I get rid of ants in my home?

Before calling us, many people try over-the-counter products such as Terro or Home Defense spray. While baits like Terro are fine to try, we highly discourage using any type of spray on ants. Most sprays give the illusion they are working since the ants will die on contact, but these products have no residual so that the ants will be back the next day.