Pavement Ants
(Tetramorium caespitum)
Small brown ants that nest in cracks in pavement and driveways and forage indoors for food.
Overview
Pavement ants are extremely common in Bowling Green, easily recognized by the small mounds of displaced sand or soil they push up through cracks in driveways, sidewalks, and patios. Originally from Europe, they have adapted well to urban environments across Kentucky. While primarily outdoor nesters, they readily enter homes through foundation cracks to forage for food, particularly during cooler months.
Appearance
Pavement ants are small, about 1/8 inch long, with dark brown to black bodies. Under magnification, they have distinctive parallel grooves (striations) on their head and thorax. They have two nodes between the thorax and abdomen, 12-segmented antennae with a 3-segmented club, and a small pair of spines on the back of the thorax. Winged swarmers are about twice the size of workers.
Habitat
True to their name, pavement ants nest under sidewalks, driveways, patios, building foundations, and flat stones. They excavate soil and push it to the surface, creating characteristic small sand mounds in pavement cracks. Indoors, they can nest in wall voids, under floors, and in insulation, especially on the ground level. They are commonly found in heated buildings during winter.
Diet
Pavement ants are opportunistic omnivores that feed on a wide variety of foods including sweets, grease, seeds, bread, meats, cheese, and other insects. They are especially attracted to greasy and sweet foods left on kitchen counters or floors. They also tend aphids for honeydew outdoors.
Lifecycle
Queens lay eggs continuously, and colonies typically contain 3,000 to 5,000 workers with a single queen. Swarmers emerge in spring, usually between June and July, though heated buildings may produce swarmers as early as February. Development from egg to adult takes about 2 to 3 months. Colonies can persist for many years.
Signs of Infestation
- !Small mounds of fine sand or soil along sidewalk cracks, driveway joints, or at the base of foundations
- !Trails of small dark ants along baseboards, in kitchens, or near pet food
- !Winged ants emerging from cracks in floors or walls during spring
- !Ants appearing near heat sources during winter months
Prevention Tips
- ✓Seal cracks in the foundation, sidewalks, and around utility entry points
- ✓Keep kitchen areas clean and free of crumbs and grease
- ✓Store food in airtight containers
- ✓Remove debris and leaf litter from against the foundation
- ✓Caulk around windows and doors at ground level
Professional Treatment
Professional treatment for pavement ants typically involves applying bait stations along foraging trails and near nest entrances. Non-repellent liquid treatments around the foundation intercept foraging workers. For indoor colonies in wall voids, dust formulations can be injected through small access points. Because nests are often under concrete slabs, complete elimination may require treating accessible entry points and using baits the workers carry back to the colony.
Did You Know?
- •Pavement ant colonies sometimes wage large-scale battles against neighboring colonies on warm spring days.
- •They were accidentally introduced to North America from Europe in the 1700s and 1800s.
- •Workers can forage up to 30 feet from their nest to find food.
- •They are one of the few ant species that thrive in heavily paved, urban environments.
1/8 to 1/16 inch
Dark brown to black
6
Segmented, oval
Sugar ant, House ant
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Other Ants in Our Library
Carpenter Ants
Large ants that excavate wood to build their nests, potentially causing structural damage to homes.
Odorous House Ants
Tiny dark ants that release a rotten coconut-like smell when crushed and commonly invade kitchens.
Acrobat Ants
Small ants with a distinctive heart-shaped abdomen they raise over their body when disturbed.