Pavement ants reside in Warminster and throughout the United States. Known for building nests under the foundation of a building, pavement ants will then infest the structure. The main goal is to find a source of food, but the presence of the pavement ant can quickly become a nuisance.
The behavior of the pavement ant is quite interesting. For example, this species of insect will partake in battles with nearby colonies of ants to establish territory dominance. Thousands of ants can participate in this event, with hundreds perishing by the end. The battle can last up to 12 hours. Luckily, this is an event that usually takes place outside of a home where different colonies have access to one convenient location.
WHAT DO
PAVEMENT ANTS
LOOK LIKE?
When ants have been spotted in or nearby a structure, pavement ants can be identified by inspection. This is a small species of ant, with the body spanning approximately 3mm in length. The color of pavement ants is very dark brown or black with a shiny appearance. Small grooves are on the head of the pavement ant, and the antennae have 12 segments.
Activity picks up when the weather is warm outside, and pavement ants are typically spotted around baseboards and floor edges. There are winged varieties of the pavement ant (both male and female), and behavioral traits are similar to those of flies. This variety of the species will move towards any source of light to try and get outside.
WHERE DO
PAVEMENT ANTS
LIVE?
Outdoors, pavement ants often live under rocks, plants and other items that are out in the open. It is not uncommon for pavement ants to be spotted in urban communities as well. A colony will frequently live underneath a sidewalk slab or under the foundation of a building.
It is very rare to spot a queen pavement ant outside of the nest. The colony of ants will come and go, with as many as 10,000 of them inhabiting the nest at one time. The lifespan of this insect can be a number of years, with the workers living approximately five years and the queen potentially living for longer than that if left undisturbed.
Inside a home, pavement ants will not live out in the open. Common nest locations include inside walls or underneath floors. Because of the inconspicuous location of the nest, it becomes pretty easy for a pavement ant colony to multiply without a Warminster area home or business owner realizing what is taking place behind the scenes.
Once active indoors, the pavement ant can sometimes be spotted along the baseboards of a room or underneath spaces like kitchen cabinets or appliances. If a source of food is available, a trail of pavement ants may lead to that food from wherever a nest is located.
WHAT DO PAVEMENT ANTS EAT?
Pavement ants will look for food most frequently at night, which is when activity will pick up. Food sources can include small insects, juice from plants and food that contains some sort of protein. An infestation becomes more visible when pavement ants start to travel throughout a home in search of food. An attraction to sweets can keep the pavement ant very active, searching for a meal.
An interesting fact about pavement ants is that a chemical trail is laid as a pathway from a food source back to the nest. This trail is formed by the colony ants that first discover the food. It is a form of recruitment to get other ants to begin transporting the food as well.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY PAVEMENT ANTS
Pavement ants are quite different from carpenter ants in that there is not a lot of destruction that will take place when a colony is present. That being said, having pavement ants inside a structure is still a nuisance. It is simply not necessary to worry about structural damage.
ARE
PAVEMENT ANTS
AGGRESSIVE?
The pavement ant is an insect that does not bite humans, though there is a stinger located on the rear side of the body of a pavement ant. It is rare that this insect will choose to use this stinger, but it can occur if the ant feels very threatened or aggressive.
As mentioned earlier, pavement ants are well known for fighting with other ants from a different colony. These battles can last for many hours until dominance has been established. Unfortunately, hundreds of ants can perish in both colony structures.
DO
PAVEMENT ANTS
CARRY DISEASE?
The pavement species of ant does not carry disease like other insects do (such as mosquitoes). It is not common for this insect to bite or sting humans, further reducing any kind of risk that may exist. However, the pavement ant is very active in a search for food. If any kind of bacteria, like salmonella, is present on a surface, the ants may travel through that area in search of food. Salmonella or other food-borne bacteria can get transferred onto a surface that could make a human sick. This includes cutting boards, plates, utensils, etc.
HOW TO DETECT
PAVEMENT ANTS
Signs of a pavement ant issue include:
• Piles of dirt will be present if the pavement ants are removing material from a location in order to build a nest • A trail of ants matching the description of the pavement ant. This trail will usually lead from a colony nest to a food source. • Ant activity near baseboards, on floors or on countertops • Large groups of ants underneath pavers, rocks and debris outside
HOW TO PREVENT
PAVEMENT ANTS
To help prevent pavement ant problems the following steps should be taken:
• Put away food when not in use, cleaning the area up so no crumbs or residues are present • Wipe down surfaces to remove any pheromone trails that are present • Bait products can be used inside a home in order to stop pavement ants in their tracks if they happen to gain access. This prevents the formation of a nest or pheromone trails. • Minimize debris, decorations and other items in the yard that can become a convenient home for pavement ants
HOW WE TREAT FOR
ANTS
Ants are the number one pest control issue and can prove virtually impossible for home and business owners to solve on their own. Ending an ant infestation typically requires proper ant identification, locating and destroying the nest or colony, as well as the use and application of specialized products.
As such, it is not advisable for property owners to attempt to eradicate an ant infestation without assistance from a professional pest control provider.
