How To Keep Ants Off Your Lawn

You can find ants almost anywhere in the United States. The only thing they don’t like is extreme temperatures so depending on the ant, cold temperatures or boiling hot temperatures are deadly for ants. 

But put them on a beautiful lawn in West Palm Beach and suddenly, it’s ant heaven. 

You may think you don’t have an ant problem just because they aren’t inside. But have you noticed ants biting your ankles when you're doing yard work? 

You might brush aside ants in your yard just because they’re so common but just because it’s a common problem doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed.

And even if you don’t see ants living outside as a problem, it’s only a matter of time when they find their way inside your home, and suddenly you’re dealing with a more severe infestation. 

Some ants in West Palm Beach are harmless, while others (like fire ants) can cause more irritation. 

But don’t worry! There are simple solutions to solve any ant problem. 

Learning about ants can help you keep your lawn and home ant free, so let’s get started!

Common Ants in Florida

Sugar Ants

If palm trees are part of your landscaping, then they might contain sugar ants. These ants climb up to the fronds where honeydew, a sticky substance produced by aphids, scale insects and mealybugs, can be found. 

Sugar ants love honeydew, and will do anything and I mean anything to stay near it. This makes them extremely stubborn. 

Sugar ants are one of the most common ants in West Palm Beach. And actually, sugar ants aren’t one type of ant. 

The “sugar ant” is actually a common name for most ants like ghost ants, pavement ants and carpenter ants. 

Their tendency to hang around sweet foods makes them easy to identify as common household ants; however, there are more factors that can help you identify the specific type of ant. 

Ghost Ants

When customers call us about Ghost ants they often first call them sugar ants. They act like your typical ant, going after sugary foods, hanging around honeydew-producing insects and running all over the place. 

Plus they love the Florida climate. (Like most ants!)

Ghost ants can grow up to 1.5 millimeters long. The top halves of their bodies are dark brown. and their bottom halves are either opaque, white, or yellow.

Their size and color make them difficult to see, hence the name. Identifying them typically requires using a flashlight because they’re so tiny. 

Acrobat Ants

Acrobat ants get their name from their ability to raise their abdomen over their thorax and head, and they’ll do that when threatened, and can bite and produce a foul smell. 

They also like to feed on honeydew as well as living and dead insects and they usually nest in moist wood.

Argentine Ants

The Argentine ant is an invasive species from Argentina (as you might imagine). Even though they don’t bite or sting, they love backyards with potted plants, bricks, and stones which makes them a common yard pest. 

They also love honeydew, meaning you’ll find them around lawn pests, palms and other plants. They can even move the pests to the best food sources that will maximize their honeydew production. 

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are structurally damaging pests. Their damage can be mistaken for termite evidence, but the difference is that termites actually eat the wood. Carpenter ants will often live both inside and outside your home, and damage the wood by digging their nests. 

Carpenter ants are the largest species of ants in the United States (which isn’t that crazy since they’re all very small). They’re usually reddish brown or black. 

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants usually travel in long lines when they bring food back to their nests. You can usually find pavement ant nests in pavement and cement cracks on the sidewalk or the patio. 

They’ll eat just about anything - cheese, sugar, nuts, other tiny bugs, you name it. So whatever your diet is, they’ll find something to eat either on your lawn or in your home. 

Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants are yellow or light brown and are nearly transparent. They’re another invasive species, coming from Northern Africa. 

Pharaoh ants are tricky for a few reasons. 1) They can contaminate the food they touch. 2) They don’t respond to most common ant treatments. 

Big Headed Ants

Big headed ants in West Palm Beach are an invasive species that can be a threat to the things that make our society go round - irrigation and powerlines are two examples of what they can damage. 

In your yard, things can get out of hand as colonies may expand across multiple homes on one street.  

So you’ll want to talk to your neighbors to see if you’re dealing with one huge ant problem so you don’t waste time and money while missing the big picture. 

Why Do Ants Come to My Yard?

Ants want three things: food, water, and shelter. If your West Palm Beach, FL lawn offers those things, then ants might choose your property as their new home.

Ant mounds typically come out of the dark from sidewalk cracks and around the home foundation, since they do best where they’re most protected. 

(Mower blades and weed eaters can’t get to them if they colonize along the walls and fences.)

Standing water like puddles and birdbaths can attract ants. Food sources include garbage bags, spilled food, and trash. A lawn that contains these items is likely to experience an ant infestation.

Prevent Ants On My Lawn

• Immediately clean up food crumbs and spills: You want to enjoy your yard and picnics are a great way! Cleaning any messes is crucial in keeping your lawn ant free.
• Fix leaky plumbing: Faulty faucets and sprinklers can be the perfect sources of water for ants. Getting rid of water might not totally fix things, but you might see a slight improvement.
• Remove yard debris: Rotten wood can be home to several kinds of ants like carpenter ants. Keeping your wood clean and dry is a good step toward effective and long-term ant prevention.

One of the best ways to prevent ants from taking over your yard is to regularly take care of your lawn. This includes mowing it and cleaning up debris and trash. 

Eliminating standing water can also dissuade them from building ant nests on your property.

You can also destroy ant mounds as soon as you see them. Raking them before they become too large can reduce their numbers.

Although ants look for water, they usually make their homes in dry, well-drained soil. This setting is best for nest building. 

That is why they tend to enter homes and other structures after a rainstorm - they’re looking for a dry shelter to nest. Watering your lawn a few times a week can prevent ants from settling. 

You can follow the following checklist of ways to prevent ants from infesting your yard. Starting early and keeping up with these action steps can make a world of difference.

How to Get Rid of Ants in My Yard

If you’re wondering how to get rid of ants in your West Palm Beach, FL yard, the first step to take is to remove everything that attracts them and close off entrances.

 Ants are in your home to eat and drink, so the best plan of action is to take away their food and water sources - Don’t give them a reason to consider returning.

And whether the ants are inside your home or not, closing off entrances is still important. They like to look for the tiniest openings so they can get in your home. 

Sealing your home with caulk can fix this, and if you don’t want to do it yourself, allow us to seal your home for you! All of our technicians carry caulk and are happy to include that in their service for you. 

The second step is the actual elimination. While you might be tempted to use spray repellants, the fastest method isn’t always the most effective.

Ant repellants will kill the ants quickly, but they'll also cause the ants that survive to divide and create new colonies. Also keep in mind that spraying the ants you see won’t keep more ants from coming, because there’s usually another source attracting them. 

That big source is the honeydew I mentioned earlier. Lawn insects like whiteflies, scale insects, aphids and mealybugs often live on plants, as well as common palm trees in West Palm Beach. 

These insects produce honeydew, which ants look for and usually won’t leave once they find it. Many ants actually protect honeydew-producing insects and help them make more honeydew. 

Ant Control in West Palm Beach, FL

Sometimes managing ants is as simple as knocking down anthills. Other times, home remedies can do the trick.

You can pour boiling water to drown ant colonies. You can also apply diatomaceous earth to infested areas.

The only thing about Diatomaceous Earth is that it only kills ants that come across it, so you’ll need a treatment that kills the whole colony.

Certain ants can cause damage to your lawn because they can destroy grassroots. They can also be more than lawn pests if they get inside your home. 

Native Pest Management can help you contain and control your yard’s ant infestation. Our eco-friendly and pet friendly pest control can keep your lawn, home, and family safe.

We’ll also go after the root of the problem to kill 2 birds with one stone. We can get rid of the lawn pests in your yard so we can get rid of the ants on your lawn for good. 

If you think your lawn is infested with ants, we can inspect your entire property. Once we find the infestation, we can come up with a treatment plan to go after them.

Since 2015, we have helped homeowners like you manage the many pests that live in our area. Our pest control has been praised in over 2,000 reviews. We have also earned several awards like the 2021 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics. 

These reviews and awards prove a lot about what makes us a leader forpest control in Florida, but they also highlight what’s important to us - our customers. 

You don’t have to deal with ants by yourself, we want to help! It’s our goal to give you your peace of mind back. 

After all, West Palm Beach is a city to remember. You might be keeping the kids off the yard so they don’t get bit, but instead, while you’re waiting on Native Pest Management to get rid of the ants in your yard, still get some sunshine with the fam by kayaking at the Winding Waters Natural Area or visit the Palm Beach Zoo!

Wondering where we service in West Palm Beach? All over! 

Some of the many neighborhoods we service in WPB: 

• Andros Isle
• Banyan Estates
• Banyan Lakes
• Cam Estates
• Dillman Heights
• Forest Hill Village
• Gun Club Colony
• Hamilton Bay
• Haverhill Homesites
• Independence Cove
• Independence Point
• Jonathan's Cove
• Kindred Cove
• Lake Belvdere Estates
• Mezzano
• Montclaire Estates
• Palisades
• Ranchette Royale
• Riverwalk
• Stonehaven
• Sunterra
• Terracina
• Timber Run
• Victoria Woods
• Whispering Woods
• Wynnewood Acres

If you’re outside of the West Palm Beach area and looking for ant control, we provide ant control services all over Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tallahassee. Visit our service area page for a full list. 

To learn all about our ant control plans, call us today for more information, plus a FREE quote!