How To Keep Small Ants Out Of Your Home - West Palm Beach, FL

When you see ants in your house, your first instinct is probably to crush them. Ants might make your skin itch. They might make you feel dirty. Seeing several of them can motivate you to get rid of them in any way you can.

Spraying ants should kill them on contact. However, sprays won’t infiltrate colonies like ant bait.

Ant bait containing boric acid can be highly effective in eliminating pests. Their results take time.

Do you have time to wait?

How do you know what type of ants you’re dealing with in the first place?

Identifying which ant species is in your West Palm Beach, FL home is crucial in helping you get rid of them. 

Read on to find out more about how to keep small ants out of your home!

You Probably Have Sugar Ants

Sugar ants flourish in tropical climates. They are one of the most common types of ants in Florida.

Sugar ants feed on plants. When they eat, they secrete a substance called honeydew. A black, mold-like substance that grows on leaves, honeydew can become a food source for ghost ants – another ant species Floridians tend to face.

If a house is closely surrounded by palm trees, then there may be ant trails going up the trunks toward the palm fronds where honeydew sits waiting to be fed upon. If any of the palm fronds touch the house, then sugar ants may use them to enter the home.

Once inside, sugar ants can usually be seen in the kitchen or bathrooms. They are drawn to moisture. Standing water acts as magnets.

Condensation from your water line can also bring them deeper into a home. Sugar ants usually colonize wall voids or the spaces behind cabinets and baseboards.

Sugar ants can be identified if they swarm over sweet foods that are left out in the open. One drop of honey or a single cookie crumb can attract them in large numbers.

You Might Have Ghost Ants

People who think they have sugar ant problems may actually have issues with ghost ants. Both types of ants are similar, especially at first glance.

Ghost ants thrive in warm weather. Since sugar ants will leave honeydew on leaves, ghost ants will flock to the food. They can also enter homes via trees and plants. Like sugar ants, ghost ants live in wall voids.

Ghost ants are between 1.3 to 1.5 millimeters long. The top halves of their bodies are usually dark brown. Their bottom halves can be either opaque, white, or yellow.

Their size and coloring make them difficult to see. In homes with dark granite counters, they can appear invisible unless they’re sought with a flashlight.

Be Aware Of Other Types Of Ants

Your definition of “small” might differ from other people. When identifying ants, you should know the basic attribute of common species.

• Acrobat ants: The members of this species are black or light brown and 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch long. They have dual-segmented sections that are attached to the front portion of their abdomens. Each acrobat ant has a pair of spines on the thorax. They can live behind walls and other dark places.
• Argentine ants: The ants of this invasive species are shiny and dark brown or black. Worker ants can grow to approximately 1/16th of an inch. When they are crushed, they release an unpleasant scent. When they search for food, they typically travel in wide trails.
• Black garden ants: These mostly harmless ants can grow up to 5 millimeters long and are glossy black. Their nests are found underground or beneath rocks.
• Carpenter ants: These structurally damaging pests can grow up to 5/8th of an inch long. They are either red or black. They leave behind fine sawdust from the wood they bite through when they build their nests.
• Odorous house ants: The dark brown and black insects can be up to 1/8th of an inch in length. They can contaminate any food they touch. When crushed, they emit either a rotten coconut or an off-kilter pine odor.
• Pavement ants: The workers are probably the ones you’ll see. They are dark brown or black. They are 1/8th of an inch long.
• Pharaoh ants: These harmful ants are either yellow or light brown and nearly transparent. They can grow up to 1/16th of an inch in length. Like odorous house ants, they can contaminate food.

How To Remove And Keep Small Ants Out Of Your Home

If you aren’t sure what ant species has infested your West Palm Beach, FL home, contact a professional pest control company. Experts can properly identify and begin removing and managing pests without delay. Their methods might also be more effective than home remedies often passed around online.

Coffee grounds, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, certain essential oils, and white vinegar have been reported to deter ants from entering a home. You can also pour boiling water into ant holes to kill ants at their source. However, at-home, natural remedies have varying degrees of success.

What if your ant infestation doesn’t go away? How long will you continue to boil water and attempt to eliminate parent colonies with hot water?

Bell peppers and fresh lemons won't always do the trick. How long will you allow ants to infect your home? You shouldn’t have to worry about children and pets being exposed to toxic substances.

Natural ant remedies may not be enough to get rid of an ant infestation. This is why the best line of defense is professional pest control in West Palm Beach, FL for effective ant repellent. Companies like Native Pest Management have eco and pet-friendly solutions to handle your ant infestations.

You can still take action to supplement professional pest control. Anything you can do to help deter ants can prove useful:

• Clean pet food and water bowls: Ants can go after pet food just as well as human fare.
• Cut plants and trees away from exterior walls: Eliminating one of the easiest ways ants can enter your house can make a huge difference. On the same note, removing yard debris can reduce the number of places ants can reside on your property.
• Repair faulty plumbing: Water attracts ants. Getting rid of water won’t necessarily end an infestation, but it can be a powerful weapon in your fight against pests.
• Seal all the entry points in the exterior of your home: Once you block the gaps where ants can enter your house, they can find it difficult to get inside.
• Store food in tightly-sealed containers: You’ll want to reduce access to any food sources that will attract ants.
• Wipe up crumbs and spills: You don’t have to constantly clean your house, but occasionally wiping counters, tables, and anywhere you and your family eats can go a long way in reducing the chances of ants invading your home again.

Your Ant Control Solution

Sugar and ghost ants love hot and wet weather. Since South Florida is abundant with both, early and frequent prevention can help avert an infestation. Identifying and controlling ants on your own can be challenging. Do you have time to stay on top of ant control?

You don’t have to struggle to get rid of ants by yourself.

Native Pest Management can succeed where a spray bottle of vinegar fails.

If you suspect your West Palm Beach, FL house is infested with ants of any type, we work diligently to remove them. One of our trained and licensed technicians will inspect the interior and exterior of your home. Once they identify the infestation, they will perform an eco-friendly, pet-safe treatment plan that targets pests and prevents them from returning.

At every regular service, they will apply an exterior liquid and granular barrier treatment if needed. You won't have to worry about being home for every service.

In addition to ant prevention, we offer you several services to further secure your home from pests and improve its appearance:

• Termite Control: From termite fumigation and no-tent control to termite bait stations and pretreats, we protect your home from destructive pests.
• Lawn Care Services: We can provide fertilization, weed control, insect control, and fungus control to keep your lawn in peak condition.
• Fire Ant Control: If your property is overrun with fire ants, we can help eliminate colonies and prevent new ones from forming.
• Mosquito Control: Our monthly fogging and standing water treatments can reduce the populations that surround your home so you can enjoy being outside again.
• Rodent Control: Our rodent control experts can quickly end all roof rats or mice with strategic trap placements in your home.
• Spider Control: We can find out where the spiders infesting your home are coming from, what is attracting them, and create a plan to stop them.
• Whitefly Control: We can help protect your Ficus hedges, banyan trees, coconut palm trees, and hibiscus with a systemic product application.

Since 2015, we have helped homeowners control the numerous pests that live in the area. Our reputation for comprehensive pest control has been noted in over 3,000 five star reviews. We’ve won several awards including the 2021 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics.

We’ve also been featured in The Palm Beach Daily News, The Palm Beach Post, and CBS News Channel 12.

We have the experience and equipment to solve your ant problem.

Call us today for your free quote!