White footed ants that are found in Florida aren’t actually native as they were, in fact, accidentally imported from Japan.  They were only discovered in Florida in 1986 and are now becoming more and more of a problem.  You can find them in Collier, Broward, Dade, Sarasota, Palm Beach and Orange however have yet to be confirmed in Martin and Saint Lucie.

Do white ants cause damage?

The good thing, at least, about white footed ants is that fact that they don’t bite, sting or cause any structural damage to your home.  Despite this if you find them on your property you will want to locate ways of getting rid of them.

The problem is that this isn’t quick or easy because of a number of different facts about white footed ants.  Perhaps you will want to go to an ant exterminator or try the DIY approach.

How easy is it to kill them?

First of all their colonies are absolutely huge so killing them all is going to be tricky.  They can survive by eating a wide variety of foods.  They can reproduce very quickly.  Because they are so tiny in size they will be able to get into your home with very little effort.

Can you completely kill all the white ants?

It would be unfair to say that you can eliminate the white footed ants completely however you should be able to keep them under some sort of control.  If in any doubt ask an ant exterminator.  If you haven’t yet had a problem with them but live in an area where there are these kinds of ants then you can try your best to prevent the ants being a problem in the first place.

How to prevent them getting into your home?

To prevent them from getting into your home you should have a look around to see if you are able to detect any holes, cracks or gaps.  When you find them you can use different materials to fill them in such as caulk and expanding foam.  In addition to preventing the ants from accessing your house, you will also help to keep other pests out such as mice and rats.

Keeping your home clean is also important because if you allow food to go lying around then the ants will be attracted to this.

The next step is to find out where to white footed ants bed is located.  When you find it you can “drench” it.  An insecticide solution can be used such as 1/4 ounce of in a gallon of water.  You can then pour it down the ant mound.

Find a insecticide duster that you can use in the areas where there are cracks and holes around your home.  You also treat your attic and crawl space to be extra sure.

If you are not at all comfortable with doing this yourself or you have already tried and failed, it’s probably better just to go to an ant exterminator who will be experienced in the killing of ants.