9 Types of ANTS found in Florida!
There are dozens of ant species that live in Florida!
Trying to list them all would be impossible. 🙂
Below are the most common and abundant types of ants, which are part of the insect family Formicidae.
9 ANT SPECIES in Florida:
#1. American Winter Ant
- Prenolepis imparis
- Adults range from light to dark brown, often with a darker abdomen.
- When viewed from the side, they have an hourglass or peanut shape.
- The abdomen of worker ants is often large and swollen from reserves when foraging.
The American Winter Ant earned its name for its unique ability to move about and forage in temperatures that send other ants into their nests for shelter. When other ants are foraging in the summer, they usually seal themselves into their nests and enter a hibernation-like state.
They may seem insignificant, but these insects are essential to our forests. Many native wildflowers like bloodroot, trillium, and violets depend on this ant for survival. The plants have a calorie-dense appendage attached to each seed, encouraging the ants to harvest and transport them to a new location.
American Winter Ants can also withstand invasive ant species in Florida!
This is partially because of their ability to forage at cool temperatures and their defensive capabilities. They are aggressive with other ants and produce abdominal secretions that are lethal to many other ant species, including the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile).
#2. Dark Rover Ant
- Brachymyrmex patagonicus
- Adult workers are very small and uniformly brown.
- Their antennae have nine segments.
- They have relatively large eyes and long hairs on their backs.
Native to South America, the dark rover ant made its way north in the 1970s. Dark rover ants are often considered a nuisance species because they build nests in gardens or homes. In urban areas, it’s common for them to use mulch and manufactured structures to build nests. In hot, dry climates, these ants tend to be drawn to the moisture in kitchens and bathrooms. Thankfully, they don’t bite, sting, or carry any diseases.
These ants have spread into Florida because they sometimes form “supercolonies.”
Rather than have a single nest with one queen, occasionally, a colony will form multiple nests, sometimes with hundreds of reproductive queens.
Additionally, dark rover ants peaceably coexist with other native and introduced species, including those usually intolerant of other ants. They also help control another invasive species, the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum).
#3. Chestnut Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus castaneus
- Adult workers are glossy and mostly orangish-red, with darker heads.
- They have smooth thoraxes, square heads, and abdomens separated by a single node.
Chestnut carpenter ants are one of the easiest ants in Florida to identify.
They’re called chestnut or red hazelnut carpenter ants for their rich, orangish-red coloration.
Unlike some ants, chestnut carpenter ants don’t tend to be a nuisance to humans. This is partially because they tend to live in forests and other less populated areas.
These ants like it warm! In the winter, they go into a hibernation-like state in their nest called diapause. They tend to enter this state during the first cool days of fall, much earlier than other ant species. Interestingly, colonies may still go into diapause in the southern parts of their range, like Florida, where it stays relatively warm year-round.
Chestnut carpenter ants have long lifespans once a colony is established. Individual workers can live for several years, and queens can live for over a decade!
#4. Florida Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus floridanus
- Large adult workers may reach up to 1/2 inch (13 mm) long.
- They are bi-colored with a black abdomen and a reddish-orange forebody.
- Their antennae have 12 segments.
Florida carpenter ants are among the largest ants in Florida.
They tend to live in relatively large colonies, often reaching 8,000 or more individual ants after just two to three years.
Within the colony, the workers are divided into castes, with workers of different sizes performing different tasks. For example, the smallest often care for the queen and brood, while the largest ants, the major workers, defend the nest.
Many mid-sized workers spend most of their time foraging, usually at night or in heavy shade. They’re omnivorous and will feed on other insects and sweet food like flower nectar and the honeydew secreted by aphids. Interestingly, these ants often defend the aphids so they keep producing honeydew.
If you spot a Florida carpenter ant nest, know they don’t take intruders lightly. These fast-moving, large, aggressive ants quickly swarm anything that disturbs their nest. Using their large mandibles, they can break the skin and will also spray toxic formic acid.
#5. Buren’s Pyramid Ant
- Dorymyrmex bureni
- Workers are generally orangish and may have a darker abdomen.
- They have a pyramid-shaped projection on their back and 12-segmented antennae.
- These ants emit a foul smell when crushed. It’s often compared to coconut.
Buren’s Pyramid Ants are partial to recently disturbed habitats. Look for them in areas such as lawns, roadsides, sandhills, dunes, fields, pastures, and scrubland.
It’s also common to spot them near other ant species in Florida.
Buren’s Pyramid Ants like to construct their nests in open clearings with sandy soil, so they often place their nest entrance in the cleared zone around a nest of harvester ants. The excavated dirt forms a circular pile around their entrance hole.
If you have fire ants or other undesirable species, these are the ants you want around. Researchers have observed Buren’s Pyramid Ants attacking individual fire ant workers and newly mated fire ant queens. They even leave “bone piles” of their victims outside their nests!
They’re fast-moving and orange-colored, which can be intimidating to those who aren’t big ant fans. Thankfully, these ants aren’t aggressive towards humans.
#6. Longhorn Crazy Ant
- Paratrechina longicornis
- The workers are grayish-black or brownish-black.
- They have pale brown legs and long, 12-segmented antennae.
- They have numerous coarse hairs on their body and a small circle of hair on the tip of their abdomen.
This may be the most widespread ant species in Florida and even the world!
Longhorn crazy ants are originally native to the tropics but easily adapt and make themselves at home in disturbed areas, urban areas, and inside buildings.
They are called crazy ants because of their erratic movement patterns. Rather than traveling in straight lines like many ant species, these ants rush around with seemingly no pattern or direction.
Part of their success in spreading worldwide may be due to their varied omnivorous diet. Longhorn crazy ants will feed on seeds, plant sap, fruit, dead insects, honeydew secretions from aphids and other insects, and human household scraps and waste.
Thankfully, these ants don’t pose any threat to humans. However, they can bite enemies to defend the colony and bend their abdomens to aim and shoot formic acid at them.
#7. Large Imported Big-headed Ant
- Pheidole obscurithorax
- Workers are very large, dark ants.
- They have noticeably enlarged heads, and the first piece of their antennae is long and thick.
- The different colony members have a vast size disparity, with major workers nearly double the size of minor workers.
This ant was first introduced to North America in the 1950s.
It has been much slower to expand its range than other invasive ant species. Large imported big-headed ants typically nest in open, disturbed habitats. Their nests are usually easy to spot, with a large, conspicuous crater of excavated soil around the entrance.
Despite their slow expansion, these ants are tough! Unlike many species, they readily attack fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and often outcompete them to win food. They’re also voracious predators that will team up to attack and carry large prey like caterpillars back to their nest. There are even some reports that they may try to eat nestling birds!
Despite these aggressive tendencies, large imported big-headed ants are omnivores. In addition to live prey, they also seek seeds and honeydew secreted from insects. If available, they will also feed on fruit, human scraps, and carrion.
#8. Northern Fungus-farming Ant
- Trachymyrmex septentrionalis
- Workers are relatively small and brownish-yellow to medium reddish-brown.
- Their heads are slightly broader than they are long.
- They have rounded abdomens.
Northern forest fungus-farming ants live in open oak and pine woodlands in Florida. One of the easiest ways to recognize these ants is to look for their nest. When they excavate soil, they make a pile that forms a crescent shape around half of the nest rather than a circle around the whole nest like most other ants.
Their nest is even more interesting on the inside! This is where the ants do much of their work. Foraging workers bring back pieces of leaves and other plant material, which the ants chew into a paste to feed and maintain a fungus garden.
All of the ants in the colony rely on the fungus as their sole food source.
Scientists believe that these ants play an important role in our forests. Their excavation and fungus farming process brings minerals and nutrients in the soil to the surface, making them accessible to plants, other fungi, and bacteria.
#9. Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA)
- Solenopsis invicta
Also known as fire ants or red ants.
- Adults are usually dark reddish brown.
- Workers measure 0.13 to 0.25 inches (0.32 to 0.64 cm) long.
- They have two nodes at the petiole (waist) and two segmented antennal clubs.
Red Imported Fire Ants are troublesome insects in Florida.
A single fire ant can sting repeatedly, and the colony will attack anything that disturbs their nest or food source.
These ants have venom with toxic alkaloids and proteins that can cause burning and swelling. If you are stung by a swarm over a large portion of your body, or if you are allergic or acutely sensitive to RIFA venom, you should seek medical attention as soon as you are stung.
Unsurprisingly, this invasive species is also considered an agricultural and home pest. Colonies can damage crops, injure livestock, and even damage sidewalks. Although they rarely nest indoors, you should call a pest control specialist if you find a colony on your property. Don’t try to eliminate the ants yourself; you will likely be stung!
Although they are mostly a nuisance, Red Imported Fire Ants also have incredible survival skills. For example, they have been observed building rafts as nearby water levels rise to avoid drowning.
Did you like learning about the ants that live in Florida?
Check out these ID guides focusing specifically on different insects and arachnids in Florida.
- MOST Common Insects
- Butterflies
- Wasps & Hornets
- Dragonflies
- Bees
- Ladybugs
- Moths
- Stink Bugs
- Cockroaches
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
- Millipedes & Centipedes
- Scorpions
- Ticks
- Grasshoppers
Do you need additional help identifying ants in Florida?
If so, check out this excellent ID guide!
Which of these ants have you seen in Florida?
Leave a comment below!
