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Carpenter Ant

Carpenter Ants in Jacksonville FL

Carpenter ants get their name because they excavate their nests in wood, creating smooth tunnels and galleries. Sometimes mistaken for termites, carpenter ants are wood-destroying pests that tunnel through wood to construct nests. Their nest-building activities destroy the structural integrity of homes and businesses. Carpenter ants do not eat and digest wood, but instead, bore through the wood and hollow it out for nesting. Over time, they seriously damage wood, reducing solid structures to hollow shells. Feeding on a wide variety of foods, carpenter ants prefer the sugary honeydew excreted by plant-sucking insects.

Carpenter Ant Habitat

Drawn to moisture, carpenter ants can establish nests in a number of different locations. These locations can be either inside or outside of a home or structure and generally near damp, decaying wood. In homes and buildings, the parent nest is generally located outside in a tree, stump, or stack of firewood. Nests are more likely to be found in wood dampened by water leaks, such as attic rafters, roof overhangs, wall voids, hollow doors or columns, and in crawl spaces and behind dishwashers. Indoor carpenter ant infestations are always associated with moisture issues in homes or businesses.

Carpenter Ant Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Carpenter ants pose a serious threat to homeowners. Even though carpenter ants rarely bite and are not generally thought of as dangerous, their burrowing activity weakens and destroys the structural integrity of homes and businesses. Carpenter ant swarms usually occur in the spring and are a sure sign that a colony is nesting nearby. Seeing tiny piles of sawdust, or hearing faint rustling noises in walls are both indications of a carpenter ant infestation. While carpenter ants are not as dangerous as termites, if left unchecked, they systematically destroy homes and valuable wood objects within them. If a carpenter ant infestation is suspected, it is best to contact a professional ant exterminator.

Odorous House Ant

Odorous House Ants in Jacksonville FL

Odorous house ants are known for the rotten, coconut-like odor they emit when crushed. Named for their offensive odor, odorous house ants are one of the most difficult household ants to control. These ants lack aggression between nests, actually cooperating with other ants, which allows them to dominate areas they invade. Sometimes referred to as sugar ants, they prefer to nest outdoors and feed on the honeydew produced by aphids and mealybugs. They are more likely to invade homes in rainy weather when the honeydew of plants might be washed away.

Odorous House Ant Habitat

The odorous house ant will move their nests frequently and can survive in a variety of environments. In selecting a nesting site, the odorous house ant will construct a nest in shallow soil that is often located beneath an object, like a board or stone. Stacked materials, such as lumber, firewood, bricks, rocks, and cardboard are also favorite nesting sites. They forage into structures looking for food and can be found in kitchens and food prep areas. Indoors, odorous house ants prefer areas near moisture—wall voids near water pipes, heaters, leaking fixtures, and damaged wood are all ideal habitats for them.

Odorous House Ant Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although they prefer to be outdoors and do not sting or bite, odorous house ants will forage into homes, especially during rainy weather. As they search for food indoors, ants will establish trails on kitchen counters, and around cabinets, sinks, and baseboards. Due to their foraging activity, odorous house ants will easily contaminate human food supplies. Ant workers and scouts leave behind invisible scent trails from their food source, back to their nest, allowing hundreds of workers to invade homes and businesses. If an odorous house ant infestation is suspected, it is recommended to contact a professional ant exterminator.

Pavement Ant

Pavement Ants in Jacksonville FL

Pavement ants construct nests beside and under sidewalks, driveways, and foundations. In the Jacksonville FL area, pavement ants feed on meat, grease, dead insects, seeds, and sweets. However, their favorite food is the honeydew produced by aphids and mealybugs. Swarms from mature pavement ant colonies occur in the spring but may occur continuously if the nest is located indoors. Ant swarmers are sometimes confused with termites and cause unsightly issues when swarming in commercial buildings. Since they build their nests in pavement, walkways, and sidewalks next to structures, they often make their way indoors in search of food.

Pavement Ant Habitat

Pavement ants move in slow deliberate motion and trails are often seen at night going to and from food sources. True to their name, pavement ants nest under or near sidewalks, slabs, and concrete, making urban habitats ideal due to the lack of vegetation. When building nests, they place any soil removed in a mound near their nesting site. These mounds are usually discovered on the surface of the ground or next to a patio or sidewalk. Inside homes, ants tend to be found in kitchen areas or the patio, establishing nests inside wall voids, insulation, or under flooring.

Pavement Ant Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Pavement ants can bite and sting, but they rarely bite humans. Considered a nuisance pest, pavement ants create unattractive piles of debris on driveways, sidewalks, and inside commercial buildings. Pavement ants contaminate food as they invade homes in large numbers. When nests aren’t treated in time, pavement ants will continue to spread throughout a home or business as they form new colonies. If you suspect a pavement ant infestation, consult a professional ant exterminator.

Pharaoh Ant

Pharaoh Ants in Jacksonville FL

One of the most persistent and difficult ants to control in the Jacksonville FL area is the Pharaoh ant. Due to their large colonies, containing up to several million workers and thousands of queens, they are challenging to eliminate. An invasive species, they outnumber native ants, forcing them out of the area. Pharaoh ant colonies can quickly split and form new colonies when disrupted. Because of their splintering ability, they can spread throughout homes and buildings rapidly. Indoors, they will nest in any well-protected areas throughout a structure, but prefer lawns and gardens outdoors.

Pharaoh Ant Habitat

Searching for food round the clock, Pharaoh ants feed on sweets, proteins, and live or dead insects. Preferring areas near moisture, nests are located near a water resource, such as sprinkler systems and evaporative cooling units. Inside homes and businesses, Pharaoh ant nests are generally located in hard-to-reach locations near moisture, such as bathrooms, kitchens, under floors, and behind baseboards. In hospitals, nursing homes, and food-processing facilities, they appear in kitchens, laundries, boiler rooms, and around heating ducts, toilets, and pipes. Pharaoh ants utilize electrical wiring and plumbing pipes to travel from room to room, which allows them to gain access throughout an entire structure.

Pharaoh Ant Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although Pharaoh ants do not bite, they carry and transmit a number of dangerous pathogens to people and pets, including salmonella and streptococcus. Due to their small size, they can access almost any space, contaminating food and food prep surfaces in kitchens and cafeterias as they forage. When they invade hospitals and nursing homes, they can contaminate sterile operating rooms, surgical equipment, and recovery rooms. Furthermore, most conventional pest control treatments do not control Pharaoh ants. If a Pharaoh ant infestation is suspected, it is recommended to contact a professional ant exterminator.

Bed Bug

Bed Bugs in Jacksonville FL

Found throughout all 50 states, bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feed exclusively on blood. Humans serve as their primary host, but they also feed on birds and mammals. Bed bugs are secretive and remain well hidden in cracks and crevices located in places where they are not likely to be disturbed.

Bed bugs typically feed at night while their host lies fast asleep, and they can live for a year or longer without a blood meal. Their bite is essentially painless, so they are rarely detected at the time of feeding activity.

Bed Bug Habitat

Bed bugs live in groups and inhabit areas where humans sleep or rest for extended periods of time. Bed bugs are usually transported, unknowingly, from place to place as people travel. They conceal themselves in the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, bedding, furniture, and anywhere they can hide.

Bed bugs can be found in homes, hotels, apartment buildings, schools, medical facilities, and other areas frequented by the public. These pests favor cracks, crevices, or seams in headboards, mattresses, luggage, backpacks, and upholstered furniture.

Bed Bug Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Bed bugs do not spread disease and are not considered dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need medical attention. The first sign of a bed bug infestation may be the appearance of bites on the skin or the appearance of small brownish dots on the bed. Bed bugs gain access to people through used furniture and bedding, luggage, or other objects that move from place to place, or through pipes shared by neighboring apartments or hotel rooms.

Bed bug bites may be undetected on people who have been bitten. Welt-like swelling in a straight line on the skin of the bite victim may occur. If a bed bug infestation is suspected, it is recommended to contact a professional bed bug exterminator.

FAQ

Are bed bugs common in Jacksonville FL?

Yes, bed bugs are a growing problem in Jacksonville FL, just like in many other states. The warm climate and high volume of tourism create ideal conditions for bed bugs to thrive and spread.

How can you tell if a bed has bedbugs?

There are several signs that indicate the presence of bed bugs, including dark spots on bedding, eggs or eggshells, skin casting, and a musty odor.

Will bed bugs go away on their own?

Unfortunately, bed bugs will not go away on their own. Once they have established themselves in a location, they will continue to breed and spread unless properly treated.

Bed bugs are resilient and can survive for several months without a blood meal, making it difficult to starve them out.

Bald-Faced Hornet

Bald-Faced Hornets in Jacksonville FL

The bald-faced hornet greatly resembles its yellowjacket relatives and gets its name from the ivory-white markings on its face. Bald-faced hornets are relatively large flying insects and will defend their nests aggressively when they feel there is a threat. These beneficial wasps live in colonies with thousands of individuals and would be a lesser threat to humans if they did not nest in structural voids, attics, and cavities associated with landscaping features.

Bald-Faced Hornet Habitat

The bald-faced hornet is more likely to build its large, paper nest around areas where humans live, work, and play. These hornets build gray-colored, egg-shaped nests that can become quite large, some growing to 24 inches in length and 30 inches in diameter. Nests are created in spring and early summer by worker hornets chewing on natural wood fibers. Bald-faced hornets will construct nests in trees, under eaves, around light structures on buildings, and inside children’s playhouses. When the nest is finished, it will be the size of a football or basketball.

Bald-Faced Hornet Behavior, Threats, or Dangers

Bald-faced hornet stings are venomous and can cause pain and swelling for about 24 hours. People who are allergic to bee stings may have similar reactions to a bald-faced hornet sting. Bald-faced hornets scavenge in trash receptacles and forage upon food and beverages consumed outdoors. They also consume ripe fruit in gardens, farms, and vineyards. In the autumn, the combination of cooler temperatures and reduced food stimulates newly emerged reproductive wasps to seek warm shelter, and they are more likely to invade homes.

As with many stinging insects, these pests will sting if they feel threatened or their nest is in danger. If a nest is located near human activity, it is important to contact a professional hornet control company for stinging insect control or nest removal.

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