Local ant information

Ant control in Florida

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Ants in Florida: what to know

Around Florida

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

Where the trail leads

Look for the rooms and outdoor areas where you regularly notice ants. Food, water, and small openings are useful things to mention when asking for help.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to know the ant species before getting in touch.

Local research

Ants in Florida: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which ants actually live in Florida, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

4,000 to 10,000 workers

Florida carpenter ant colony size

Large nocturnal colonies in wall voids and rotten wood are among the top five pest ants in the U.S.

UF/IFAS Extension

8,000 to 3 million individuals

White-footed ant colony size

Enormous colonies with many reproductive females make white-footed ants slow to control with baits.

UF/IFAS Extension

1.3 to 1.5 mm

Ghost ant worker size

Tiny size lets ghost ants slip through cabinetry gaps and nest in wall voids and potted plants.

UF/IFAS Extension

Ant species recorded in Florida

Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) — Reddish-brown stinging ant that builds hard dome mounds up to 18–24 inches high; APHIS lists infestations in AL, AR, CA, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA and Puerto Rico.…
Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) — The most common ant in and around California homes and one of the most common nuisance ants in the southeastern U.S.; forms huge multi-queen colonies in mulch, leaf litter and u…
Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) — Large black or bicolored ants (1/4 to 1/2 inch) that excavate moist or decayed wood for nests rather than eating it; indoor nests are usually satellites of an outdoor parent col…
Asian needle ant (Brachyponera (Pachycondyla) chinensis) — Small (5.0–6.5 mm) stinging ant present in the U.S. since the 1930s but recognized as a pest since 2006; nests in damp leaf litter, logs and under stones, does not trail, and it…

When ants are busiest in Florida

Florida carpenter ants are active year-round and fly May–November; white-footed ant swarms July–August in South Florida; fire ant mating flights run spring through fall on warm (>74°F) sunny days after rain (UF/IFAS).

Federal fire ant quarantine covers Florida (APHIS). Ghost ants are concentrated from Sarasota to Orlando and south; white-footed ants have been recorded in 22 counties from Alachua and Volusia south (UF/IFAS). FDACS regulates and licenses the pest control industry under Chapter 482, Florida Statutes.

Rules that apply in Florida

Pest Control (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)

For context, nationally

more than 367 million acres — Acres infested by imported fire ants. USDA APHIS
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Puerto Rico — States and territories with imported fire ant infestations (APHIS). USDA APHIS

Sources: UF/IFAS Extension; Imported Fire Ants; Argentine Ants (Circular 926); Carpenter Ants; Asian Needle Ant Around the Landscape and Home. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Florida cities

Boca Raton

Tropical · suburban setting

Ant control in Florida

Ants in Florida: what to know

Around Florida

Where the trail leads

A useful next step

Ants in Florida: what the public record shows

Ant species recorded in Florida

When ants are busiest in Florida

Rules that apply in Florida

For context, nationally

Explore Florida cities

Boca Raton

Cape Coral

Clearwater

Coral Gables

Coral Springs

Davie

Fort Lauderdale

Gainesville

Hialeah

Hollywood

Jacksonville

Kissimmee

Lakeland

Melbourne

Miami

Miami Gardens

Miramar

Orlando

Palm Bay

Pembroke Pines

Pompano Beach

Port St. Lucie

St. Petersburg

Tallahassee

Tampa

West Palm Beach

Ocala

Sarasota

Ask about ant control in Florida