Florida Carpenter ants in Miami are sometimes called Bulldog rodents or bull snakes. Two carpenter ant species that are typical around constructions in the South would be the Florida carpenter ant and the Tortugas carpenter ant. Both ants can be difficult to locate and control.

Florida Carpenter Ants

The Florida carpenter ant has two antennae which have 12 segments without a club. The Carpenter ant does not have a stinger, however, the Florida carpenter ants bite or spray formic acid on predators to protect themselves. The ant’s thorax has an even convex; a vital characteristic of the carpenter ant.

The Tortugas carpenter ant worker is from ¼ of an inch to 7/16 of an inch in length. Black carpenter ant employees are ¼ to ½ inch in length. Carpenter ants grow through a complete metamorphosis, going through stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult worker or reproductive ants with wings.

How Do Florida Carpenter Ants Reproduce

Carpenter ants can create brand new colonies when winged males and females emerge from a nest and depart for a mating flight. During the flight period, carpenter ants are found in alarming amounts.

Where Are Florida Carpenter Ants Located

Carpenter ant nests are usually started under bark or wooden debris on the ground. Estimating the size of carpenter ant colonies is very difficult since they might include more than 1 nest. Carpenter ants are among the most common indoor pest pests.

Carpenter ants will nest in wooden constructions and are available nesting throughout a homeowner’s home in window frames, wooden columns, and in attics. Homeowners will often see Carpenter ants foraging inside the home at night.

Other possible nesting sites for carpenter ants are crawl spaces and attics and that have high humidity which is attractive to the Carpenter ants. Carpenter ants may track from an interior nest into an exterior food resource.

Trees that touch homes and other constructions form pathways that offer pest ants and other insects foraging access into structures. Carpenter ants also have been seen monitoring along wooden beams into and outside of structures.

In order to locate nests search in areas where high ant populations are indicating a close proximity to the nests. Where carpenter ant workers are located inside the home only in hot months, they are scout ants from an external nest.

What Do Do Carpenter Ants Feed On

Florida carpenter ants tend to forage at night. The ants form quite loosely defined trails, or person ants wander alone. Carpenter ants will also seek out other insects, both living and dead, for meals. Carpenter ants have been reported to prey on grasshoppers, crickets, leafhoppers, caterpillars and honey bees.

How To Control Carpenter Ants

There are a number of treatment choices for the chemical control of carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are among the top five pest ants in the US. Cultural management practices involve utilizing nonchemical substances to remove or eliminate carpenter ants from infesting a structure. Florida carpenter ants treatment involves using granular baits and injecting nesting sites.