Ants are one of the most prolific insects on the planet; over 10,000 different species spread out around the globe. However, they are especially abundant in tropical and subtropical climates like Florida. In some tropical areas, they can account for nearly half of all insects. This means that South Florida residents especially can expect to face an infestation at one time or another.

The Ant Culprits

The ants in South Florida can be broken into three groups, posing a particular problem for your home or business.

• The ones that invade your yard and other parts of your landscape create unsightly mounds and otherwise cause unwanted alterations to the landscape.

• The ones that invade your house are on the hunt for food and moisture, so they gravitate to your kitchen and bathrooms.

• Carpenter Ants can be especially problematic considering the damage they cause to the structure of your home. These pests burrow into the wood of your house’s framing, not for sustenance but to create tunnels and paths and make room for nests.

The Damage Done By Ants

Certain ants can inflict bites or stings, but the greatest danger they pose comes from their contact with your food supply. They are not known to transmit any particular diseases through their bites, but they carry numerous disease-causing organisms on their bodies. Salmonella, E. Coli, and Staphylococcus are just a few pathogens that these insects could introduce to your food supply.

One variety of ants seems to be drawn to the electrical currents flowing within household appliances. Sometimes they chew through the plastic coating of electrical wires, and sometimes their sheer numbers create electrical shorts by carrying currents where they were not intended to flow. In the last 20 years, the population of these pests in Florida has skyrocketed, and the appliances they invade tend to suffer catastrophic failure.

How Ants Spread the Word

They have perfected their methods of survival and colonization over millions of years. They use smells emitted by chemicals they create to communicate with each other. That’s right, ants communicate by smell. When an ant enters your house or building, they leave a message to others in the form of a chemical trail. Infestations occur when they alert each other to the presence of food, water, and prime nesting spaces. What started as one quickly turns into thousands, and the exploration turns into an infestation.

Ants Are Tough to Eliminate

Walter Salazar Pest Control professionals will help you deal with the formidable threat posed by an ant invasion. It can be especially hard to remove an established colony compared to other insects. The chemical communication that they use helps them avoid threats, such as an attempt to eradicate them from your home. When a threat is detected, they put out the alert to run, hide, and relocate to a different part of your house. We will take measures to make your home less susceptible to infestation, and we will use our expertise to remove stubborn insects which have already colonized your home or business.