Ghost Ants

Ghost Ant Facts

• Location: A tropical ant that has been established in Central and South Florida for many years and shows up in homes there all year
• Size: Workers are tiny, only about 1/16 inch long

Ghost Ant Behavior

The name fits. Their legs and abdomen are so pale they seem to vanish against a light countertop, and often the only parts you can see are the dark head and thorax. Combined with their tiny size, that look makes them easy to recognize once you know it. Crush one and you may notice a coconut-like smell, a trait they share with odorous house ants. Indoors, foragers usually turn up on sinks, counters and floors in kitchens and bathrooms.

How to Tell Ghost Ants From Other Tiny Florida Ants

Florida has several tiny household ants, and they can look alike at a glance. A few details help separate them:

• Ghost ant: two-toned, with a dark brown head and thorax and a pale, almost see-through abdomen and legs. All workers are about the same size and run fast and erratically.
• White-footed ant: about the same size, but black to dark brown all over, with only the lower legs and feet pale. Very common around Florida homes.
• Pharaoh ant: pale yellow to light brown overall with a darker rear end, and slower moving.
• Little fire ant: an even golden-brown, slow moving, and it stings.

Under magnification, a ghost ant has a single small segment, called a node, between the thorax and abdomen, and it is hidden from above by the abdomen. Odorous house ants share this trait.

Nesting: colonies hold many queens and nest in small, often temporary spaces: under rocks, boards and mulch, in plant pots, hollow stems and under loose bark outdoors, and in wall voids and cabinets indoors. They move nests readily.

Diet: they favor sweets and honeydew from plant-feeding insects and also eat live and dead insects.

In Florida: ghost ants are not native. They are a tropical species spread worldwide through shipping and nursery plants, and they are among the more common nuisance ants in homes in Central and South Florida, where they are active all year. Cold winters limit them farther north. What to watch for is covered on ghost ant infestation.