Ghost ants (Tapinoma melanocephalum) are Florida’s most common indoor pest ant. They are named for their near-invisible pale abdomen and legs — you often see the dark head moving across a surface before you realize you’re looking at an ant trail. Ghost ants are tiny (1.3–1.5mm) and trail along countertops, cabinet edges, and baseboards in search of sweets and moisture.
The biggest challenge with ghost ants is colony structure: they are polydomous, meaning a single supercolony operates across multiple nesting sites simultaneously — both inside and outside the home. Spraying one trail eliminates that foraging group but causes the colony to split and reestablish elsewhere. The only effective approach is slow-acting bait that worker ants carry back to every nesting site, eventually reaching and eliminating the queens. Ghost ants readily accept sweet gel baits, making professional bait placement the standard treatment.