Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #58700
Title: THE STRUCTURAL PEST ANTS OF PENINSULAR FLORIDA

Author
item Klotz, John
item MANGOLD, JOHN - TERMINIX INTERNATIONAL
item Davis Jr, Lloyd
item Vail, Karen
item Patterson, Richard

Submitted to: Pest Control Technology Magazine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/19/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This article reports on a one year ant survey of pest control operators in Florida. The most commonly encountered kinds of urban pest ants are described and illustrated and characteristics of their infestations are discussed, Ant questionnaires, which were filled out by pest control operators, supplied information on the customers' complaints about ants as well as how the ants were treated for control. This survey presents a snapshot of the urban pest ants of Florida for 1993.

Technical Abstract: A one year survey was conducted with structural pest control employees of Florida to determine the kinds of ants and types of ant problems confronted in both commercial and household pest control. Eight species of ants were identified as key pests in Florida. Of these, the most common were Solenopsis invicta Buren - 14%, Tapinoma melanocephalum (F.) - 14%, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreilla) - 14%, Camponotus abdominalis floridanus (Buckley) - 12%, Monomorium pharaonis (L.) - 11%, Camponotus tortuganus Emery -8%, Pheidole megacephala (F.) - 7% and Paratrechina bourbonica (Forel) - 4 %. Customer complaints, nest locations, and treatment strategies for pest ants are also described.