Bigheaded Ants in Central Florida

If you have lived in Central Florida for any length of time you have probably encountered the Big Headed Ant. They are an invasive species of ant that has set up shop in our beautiful state.

Bigheaded Ants belong to the genus Pheidole. They can range in color from brown to dark red, depending on the species. Their name comes from the size of their head compared to their overall body size and compared to the size of other ant species. They can be found anywhere that humans inhabit.

You can find Bigheaded Ants in soil that has been disturbed. They like to build nests in the ground under patios, around pipes and around fences as well.  They destroy your lawn and then enter your home looking for food sources to support their ever-growing colony.

This type of ant actually prefers protein so the ant traps that use a sweet bait is totally useless on them. You will usually see a trail left behind by theses ants. The trail can include sand, dirt, debris or even dead worker ants.

Colonies of these ants typically consist of multiple queens. The colonies can be elaborate and segmented, designed to survive in case one part or half of the colony gets destroyed.

Prevention

Keep your wood piles a good distance away for your house. Maintain a gap between mulch and any vegetation and your home. Sweep your floors often to prevent them from invading your house. These ants will usually send out a scout and once that scout ant finds food, it passes on signals to the others and their job then becomes to secure the food source and bring as much of it back to the nest as possible.

If you believe you have an infestation in your home, please contact us and our technician can come out and give you a free estimate. We have had great success ridding places of Bigheaded Ant populations.