How to Get Rid of Ghost Ants in Florida (Follow the Trail Before You Spray)

To get rid of ghost ants in Florida, find where the trail goes, take away the food and water, and use bait instead of a trail spray. In a Brevard County home the nest may be in a wall, in a potted plant, or outside at the base of a palm frond. Wiping up the line only clears that day's ants.

TL;DR

• Ghost ants are about 1.3 to 1.5 millimeters long, with a dark head and a milky white rear and legs.
• Crush one and it smells like rotten coconut, says UF/IFAS.
• They have many queens spread over many small nests, so killing the line does not end it.
• Follow the trail first. It is your only map to the nest.
• Check any bait after a day or two. If the ants are not feeding, it is in the wrong place.

How do I know they are ghost ants?

Most people call these sugar ants. "Sugar ant" is not one kind of ant. It is a name for any small ant on the counter, so it helps to look closer.

UF/IFAS gives three easy clues:

• Color. A deep dark brown head and middle, with a milky white rear and legs. The pale part is so hard to see that the ant looks like a moving dot.
• Smell. A crushed worker smells like rotten coconut.
• Place. Sinks, counters and floors in kitchens and bathrooms.

Two ants get mixed up with it. The odorous house ant is larger and dark all over. The Pharaoh ant looks similar, and it takes a close look at the body to separate them, so a technician should name that one.

Ghost ants have no stinger. UF/IFAS calls them one of the most important household ants in Florida, mostly from Sarasota to Orlando and south. That band includes the Space Coast.

Where the nest hides

This is why they feel impossible. UF/IFAS says a colony breaks into small groups in many sites, and the groups trade ants back and forth along scent trails. Some of those sites last only days or weeks.

Inside the house, look at:

• Wall voids and the space between cabinets and baseboards
• Cracks, and even the gaps between books
• Potted plants

Outside, look at:

• Flowerpots and anything sitting on the ground
• Loose bark
• The bases of palm fronds

UF/IFAS also says the ants that you see indoors often come from outside. They walk in from nests near the foundation, or from plants that touch the house. So the kitchen may only be the place they eat.

Why a spray will not get rid of ghost ants

UF/IFAS calls treatments that target single trails a "quick fix" because they do not affect the queen. With ghost ants, one colony has many queens in many spots. New nests form when queens leave with a group of workers, which is called budding.

You will read that a repellent spray makes the colony split. Pest companies say it often. We could not find Florida research that proves it for ghost ants, so we will not claim it. The plain reason to skip the spray is enough: it kills the workers it touches, and the queens keep laying.

Bait works the other way. Workers feed on it and carry it home. A UF/IFAS entomologist pointed out the catch back in 1997: a bait strong enough to kill an ant fast kills it before it gets home. So slow matters more than strong. That is also why we would skip the homemade recipes you see online. Nobody can tell you how strong your mix is.

What we see in Brevard

Ghost ants are the small pale ants in Melbourne kitchens and bathrooms, often near a leak or a potted plant by a window. So look at the plant before you blame the house. UF/IFAS says these ants tend honeydew insects, like aphids and whiteflies, for their sugar. A plant with sticky leaves can be both a food source and a nest. UF/IFAS researchers have also noted that ghost ants often arrive in plants brought indoors.

What to do now

1. Watch the trail for a few minutes before you wipe it. Note where it comes in and where it goes. Take a photo.
2. Check the plants. Look at the pots and saucers indoors, then anything touching the walls outside. Our post on how far shrubs should be from your house covers the trimming.
3. Take away the food. Put sweets in tight containers, wipe up syrup and crumbs, and rinse sticky bottles.
4. Fix the water. UF/IFAS says to cut leaks and condensation. Start under the kitchen and bathroom sinks.
5. Then clean up the trail. If you try a store bought ant bait on a small trail, follow the label. Check in a day or two, and move it if the ants are not feeding.

When to call somebody

UF/IFAS says ghost ants usually need control only when they become a nuisance indoors. So a few ants on one counter may not need us. Call if the trail comes back after a couple of weeks, shows up in more than one room, or you cannot find where it starts.

For indoor nests in voids, UF/IFAS points to bait. For ants coming in from outside, it points to a barrier treatment. Our general pest control service works on both the inside and the outside, depending on the plan. If you are not sure these are ghost ants, our post on why you keep seeing ants in your home covers the other common Florida ants.

Sources

• UF/IFAS: Ghost Ant (IN532)
• UF/IFAS: Ants (IG080)
• UF/IFAS News: Ghost ants can be more trick than treat for homeowners (1997)

Frequently Asked Questions