White Footed Ant Control: How To Get Rid of White Footed Ants

This page is a White Footed Ant control guide. By using the products and methods suggested you will get control of White Footed Ants. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of White Footed Ants.

Among the toughest species of ants to control, the White Footed Ant has become a rising problem in the southern United States, particularly in Florida. The reason that they are hard to control is because colonies of white-footed ants have many reproductive queens which can make up nearly half the colony if left to their own devices. This can make their population grow to massive proportions and be a pain in the neck for homeowners.

The White Footed Ant resembles the Crazy Ant and Odorous House ant but can be easily distinguished by their tarsi (section at the end of their legs) which are a very light yellow or yellowish-white, which is how they get their name.

White Footed ant colonies are very large with an average colony carrying a range of between 400,000 to well over 1 million ants. This puts food at a very high demand and as a result, these pests forage over a wide range of different food sources. Typically, these ants show up at food sources in large numbers.

If you are dealing with White-Footed ants on your property, you’re going to want to implement an effective control program before their numbers get out of hand. The DIY guide below was put together by our ant control experts and will let you know the techniques and product recommendations to eliminate White Footed Ants quickly and affordably.

Identification

Before carrying out a treatment approach you need to be sure you are, in fact, dealing with White Footed Ants. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, which can be a waste of time and money. Below are some common characteristics of White Footed Ants so you know what they look like for easy identification.

• The White Footed ant is small to medium in size when compared to other ant species, ranging between 2.5 to 3 mm in length. The White-Footed ant is black to brownish-black in color with the distinguishing trait of feet that appear to be cream-colored, which is how they get their name.
• White Footed Ants have 12 segmented antennae, 5 segments in their abdomen and no stinger. The
• White Footed Ant has been compared to the Argentine Ant based on appearance. In behavior, however, White Footed Ants are often mistaken as the Crazy Ant because of the way they move. 

Use the image and description above to properly identify White Footed Ants on your property. If you are unsure, contact us and we will try to assist you with the correct identification.

Inspection

Once certain that the ants that are infesting are White Footed Ants, you should then proceed with an inspection. During the inspection, you will search for these "hotspots" where White Footed Ants are nesting or where they are forming their foraging trails.

Where To Inspect

Start your inspection outdoors. Search in your yard near decaying wood, trees, tree stumps, logs, woodpiles, lumber, and under rocks, bricks, leaf litter, and general clutter in the yard. Indoors search near areas where moisture is created like the bathrooms, utility rooms, kitchens, and where food and liquids are available.

What To Look For

You're looking for White Footed Ants, their foraging trails, and their nest or colony. Nests are more commonly found outdoors than inside. Inspect in all the places listed above for the ants themselves and their foraging trails. If you are able to find any foraging trails follow it back to its sources. This might lead you to cracks and crevices in the home, or the colonies themselves outside. Once you have discovered White Footed Ant foraging trails and their colonies it is time to enact treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed White Footed Ant activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

It is best to use more than one product to tackle this pest in order to knock down the entire population. Outdoors we suggest applying Supreme IT Insecticide to any mounds that have been located and around the perimeter of your home to create a barrier. Indoors, use FiPro Foaming Aerosol and Ant-Trax Ant Bait to kill worker Ants that are foraging for food.

Step 1 - Outdoor Treatment with Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a powerful insecticide concentrate that will both kill and repel insects away from your property, which makes it perfect to apply as a barrier treatment or perimeter treatment to prevent White Footed Ants from coming close to your property. It is also perfect to drench mounds or nests you're able to find.

Determine how much Supreme IT you need by calculating the square footage of your yard. To do this, measure (in feet) the area length and width and then multiply the two values (length x width = square footage). Supreme IT's label states to use 0.5 to 1 oz. of Supreme IT to treat indoor and outdoor ant infestations in a gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

Mix 0.5 to 1 oz. of Supreme IT with a gallon of water inside your pump sprayer and then perform a perimeter treatment around your property by spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure. While spraying in this manner also spray eaves, soffits, rain gutters, windows, doors, garage doors, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and cracks and crevices.

To drench any ant colonies or nest you are able to find, first, spray around the diameter of your anthill, to prevent ants from escaping. Then spray the mound directly until it is totally drenched.

Step 2 - Indoor Treatment with Ant-Trax

For ants that have made their way indoors, use Ant-Trax Ant Bait. Ant-Trax is an attractive ant bait that has a sweet taste that White Footed Ants will love. White Footed Ants are an ant species that doesn't share bait between others in the colony, so this will not kill the entire population, only the worker ants that carry or consume the bait (which is why it is best to combine bait applications with other products or forms of control like Supreme IT).

This product comes in a syringe for easy application. To apply simply press down on the plunger. You will apply a pea-sized drop, separated by at least one foot, in all areas where activity has been observed. Apply close to colonies and cracks and crevices where ants are emerging from. Also apply in countertops, around and behind appliances, and in cracks and crevices, throughout the home.

Allow for 7 to 10 days to go by and do not kill the ants or clean (or use cleaning supplies) near the places where Ant-Trax was applied. The point is to let the ants feast undisturbed on the bait.

Step 3 - Apply Fipro Foaming Aerosol

Fipro Aerosol is a non-repellant foaming spray that is used to treat cracks and crevices where ants hide, travel and emerge from. It's foaming capabilities allow a tremendous reach that other forms of ant control cannot do.

Simply inject the tube straw and apply to cracks and crevices where ants have been observed. Apply to window frames, door frames, around sinks (underneath sinks where plumbing penetrates walls), to cracks and crevices, and anywhere where you have observed White Footed Ant activity. If you have found key spots where White Footed Ants are emerging from apply in these areas.

Prevention

Once the White Footed Ant Problem has been eradicated, you can help keep them from re-invading by carrying out regular sanitation as well as putting in place some habitat modifications and exclusion measures to make your home less appealing to White Footed ants. This can be done by:

• Reducing moisture by fixing leaks, thoroughly cleaning your home (particularly the kitchen) to clear up crumbs and grease, and sealing up cracks and crevices with caulk.
• Some additional preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of a White Footed Ant reinfestation include trimming trees and shrubs surrounding the structure to the point where they don’t touch the home. These are often bridges for White Footed ants to move on into a home.  Large trees infested with White Footed ants that overhang near your home should also be trimmed back.
• Finally, quarterly treatments of Supreme IT around your yard is also an effective preventative measure since Supreme IT can remain effective for up to 90 days.

Key Takeaways

What are White Footed Ants?

• White Footed Ants are a species of ant that is on the rise in the Southern United States and are known for forming large colonies.

How to Get Rid of White Footed Ants

• To control White Footed Ants, we recommend a combination of Supreme IT Insecticide, Fipro Foaming Aerosol, and Ant-Trax Ant Bait.

Preventing White Footed Ant Reinfestation

• Prevent re-infestation of White Footed Ants by implementing exclusion measures and habitat modifications to make your property less appealing.