Brand-new homes, ancient pest problems
Horizon West is Central Florida's big growth story — master-planned villages rising on former citrus groves and pasture. The homes are new. The pest colonies in the soil are not. Construction disturbs massive established colonies of ants and termites, which relocate into the nearest structure: your new house.
What new builds here face
Relocated ant colonies. The #1 new-home call — Argentine ants, ghost ants, and fire ants moving into fresh structures within months of move-in. The soil was their home first.
Termites. Disturbed subterranean colonies probe new foundations aggressively. New builds should have termite protection from day one — bait systems or barriers before the colony finds the house, not after.
Fire ants in new sod. Fresh sod over sandy former-grove soil is fire ant paradise. Mounds appear within weeks of landscaping.
Palmetto bugs and spiders. New mulch beds and new irrigation create instant harborage around every foundation.
Builder-grade pest control isn't
Many builders include a basic initial treatment — it's a checkbox, not a program. It wears off, and Florida's pressure doesn't. A real barrier and prevention plan from move-in costs less than the rescue treatments that follow the "why do we have ants in a new house?" phase.
Just moved in? Send the form — tell us your village and what you're seeing.