Ant control in Florida means knowing the ant. Ghost ants are tiny with a dark head and pale body, and trail along counters and bathroom sinks. White-footed ants build huge colonies in palms and walls. Fire ants raise soft dirt mounds in lawns and sting hard. Florida carpenter ants are large and reddish and nest in hollow spaces, damp wood and palm debris. They do not eat wood the way termites do.
Spraying a trail usually makes ghost and white-footed ants worse. The colony splits into new nests, a habit called budding. Slow-acting baits work better because workers carry them back and feed the queens. Fire ants are treated with broadcast bait across the lawn plus mound treatment. Carpenter ants need their nest found, often in a wall void, a soffit or a dead palm stump.
HomeGuide puts a one-time ant treatment at about $200 to $300 for a 2,000 square foot home and about $800 to $1,200 for severe infestations. Trimming branches and palm fronds off the roof, pulling mulch back from the slab and fixing leaks cut down on new colonies.
Technician insight
In Florida, ant trails often start at a branch or palm frond touching the roof or a vine on the wall. Trim plants back about a foot from the house before the visit. Baits work faster when the ants have no outside bridge to new nests.
Ant Control Services
✓Ghost Ant Control
Baits placed along trails and near sinks to reach the many small nests ghost ants build.
✓Fire Ant Mound Treatment
Broadcast lawn bait and direct mound treatment for red imported fire ants.
✓Carpenter Ant Nest Treatment
Finding and treating Florida carpenter ant nests in walls, soffits and stumps.
✓White-Footed Ant Control
Baiting and perimeter treatment for large colonies living in palms and walls.
✓Ant Prevention Barrier
Outside perimeter treatment and trimming advice to keep new colonies out.
Ant Control Cost in Florida
| Service | Typical Range | What Affects It |
|---|---|---|
| One-time ant treatment | $200 to $300 | HomeGuide range; about 2,000 sq ft home |
| Severe ant infestation | $800 to $1,200 | HomeGuide range; many nests or wall colonies |
Ranges are typical for Florida. The technician gives a written estimate before any work starts.
How it works
- 1
Call and describe the ants
Say their size and color and where the trails start. A close photo helps.
- 2
Inspection and ant ID
The technician follows trails to nests inside and outside the home.
- 3
Written estimate
You get the bait and treatment plan and the price in writing.
- 4
Treatment and follow-up
Baits and nest treatment go in, and a follow-up checks that trails have stopped.
Pricing
Species and nest count