Despite what their name may suggest, ghost ants aren’t dead, but they can still haunt your Tampa home like a phantom. Here’s what Tampa homeowners should know about identifying ghost ants, why you don’t want them hanging around, some easy tips for preventing ghost ants and other types of ants, and how you can get rid of ghost ants in your home with pest control in Tampa.
What Do Ghost Ants Look Like & Why Are They Bad?
Ghost ants get their name for a good reason: they have pale, transparent bodies which can make them appear ghostly. When a ghost ant runs across a light-colored surface, that pale coloring can make it look like their legs and body almost disappear, so all you will see is their dark head and thorax. This may look spooky, but it can also make ghost ants fairly easy to identify too. Besides their coloring, these ants only grow to be 1/16th of an inch long.
You may not even know some ghosts exist, but ghost ants can certainly make their presence known. The main reason you’ll want to avoid having these ants in your home is that they are a nuisance pest. Not only can they create large colonies that divide and split, which make them difficult to eliminate, but they can also become an annoyance when it comes to food and moisture.
Ghost ants are attracted to human food, especially sweets and meats. If you leave even a few crumbs out, these critters won’t hesitate to overtake your countertops. This can make any kind of food preparation difficult. Once they smell your food, you may be fending off ghost ants as you try to cook dinner, and these pests may even contaminate your leftovers as well.
Five Eco-Friendly Ant Prevention Tips For Your Home
Some insecticides can be toxic for you, your pets, or even the environment, but you don’t need to hurt anyone else to combat ghost ants. Whether you’ve got ghost ants or another type of nuisance ant in your home, there are some quick, easy, and eco-friendly prevention tips you can use to keep these critters away, such as:
- Keep leftovers stored properly. Make sure you store any leftover food in airtight containers or sealed packaging, and never leave these items out in the open. Keeping them in the fridge and pantry will reduce the smells that attract ghost ants and limit their access.
- Don’t leave the lid off the trash can. Rotting food can smell just as appetizing as fresh food to ants, so you’ll want to seal off any indoor and outdoor trash cans. Remember that outdoor trash cans and compost piles can also entice ghost ants near your home and make them more likely to eventually come inside.
- Don’t leave water running and address moisture issues. Ghost ants love moisture, so you should limit sources of excess water and address moisture issues, like leaky faucets, as soon as you notice them.
- Use a sealant to eliminate ant entrances. Ghost ants often enter your home through tiny cracks in the walls, foundation, or even gaps under doorways. You can use a sealant like caulk or foam to get rid of these gaps and weatherstripping for under doors and windows.
- Keep your kitchen and dining room tidy. Storing leftovers is important, but even crumbs can entice ghost ants. Make sure you’re wiping up spills, crumbs, and not leaving dirty dishes in the sink. General tidiness will go a long way toward keeping ghost ants away and eliminating their food sources.
While these tips aren’t foolproof, they can reduce the risk of a ghost ant problem in your Tampa home.
Contact The Pros For The Quick Elimination Of Ghost Ants In Your Home
Along with practicing the tips we’ve listed above, what should you do if you’re currently dealing with ghost ants in Tampa? Rather than waste your time with toxic OTC insecticides that will do everything but hurt what they’re supposed to, the best thing you can do is contact the ghost ant control pros at Haskell Termite & Pest Control.
With decades of experience, we’ll swiftly and effectively deal with any ghost ants that are haunting your Tampa home. If you’re spotting these critters around, that’s a sign of an infestation – call us today at Haskell Termite & Pest Control to learn more about how we can help you with our residential pest control solutions.
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Efficient, effective and trustworthy. After using them, I paid the annual insurance in case the drywood termites came back. When they did come back, Haskell promptly re-tented the house - no arguing, no cost to me.
