Pavement ants continue to flourish in Feasterville and throughout North America ever since their arrival here. And every year exterminator are called just to have these pests eradicated.
Despite the fact that they are found everywhere, they are really only a nuisance species. This means that they do not cause much, if any, property damage, and they are less likely to make people sick than other pest species.
Still, no one wants to go to their place of work or come home in the evening to find that pavement ants have gotten there first. To complicate the issue, getting rid of a pavement ant colony can be incredibly difficult.
This is because pavement ant colonies usually boast tens of thousands of members. Accordingly, a colony must industriously enlarge its nest to accommodate its members. It also is essential that everyone eats, so that the colony's workers must maintain an around-the-clock foraging schedule.
Pavement ants are tiny, which means that slipping into a residential or commercial building is no problem. Even the smallest and most innocent-looking crack in a foundation can be enough to admit a curious pavement ant. Once an entrance has been discovered, other colony members will utilize it, and it is possible that the colony will even begin nesting in the foundation or elsewhere in the structure.
Indoor nests can make control an even more perplexing problem, but professional exterminators are trained to locate and destroy these colonies regardless of where they may be hiding. Pest control technicians get rid of the openings in the building's exterior that are allowing pests to get indoors. They also use poison baits that are irresistible to ants. The poison gets carried back to the nest where it destroys the colony's queen and her young.
Thanks to the efforts of pest management professionals, it is possible to end stubborn pavement ant infestations.
WHAT DO PAVEMENT ANTS LOOK LIKE?
A full-grown pavement ant worker measures only two to three millimeters long. This diminutive size can make these pests difficult for the ordinary person to identify. The problem of identification is also complicated by the pavement ant's brown or black body color, hues that are exceptionally common among ant species in the region.
However, a well-trained and experienced pest management professional looks for the pavement ant's stinger and its many-segmented antennae to help identify it. The nesting habitat chosen by the colony also provides valuable clues for identification.
WHERE DO PAVEMENT ANTS LIVE?
Anyone who has seen a bustling colony of ants living in the cracks of a parking lot, driveway, sidewalk or patio was probably watching pavement ants at work. This species likes to dig into seams and cracks in paved surfaces, excavating tunnels and galleries underground in which to live. The paved surface provides good protection from the elements and predators. Typically, a colony looking for a place to nest will locate an existing crack or seam, and then begin digging in it to enlarge it. Several small piles of sandy-looking soil typically are deposited on the ground's surface outside the entrance to the nest.
Pavement ants do not have to live in concrete-covered places. Piles of stones, bricks and lumber also provide good habitat as does a stretch of exposed garden soil or a patch of ground that has a thick covering of mulch.
Pavements ants are good at concealing their nests in indoor places. Sometimes, these nests are located in the foundation of a building with a crack serving as the entrance. The colony also may go deeper into the structure, nesting below floors or within wall voids or insulation. Hard-to-find pavement ant nests must be located by an exterminator so that they can be removed.
WHAT DO PAVEMENT ANTS EAT?
Most pavement ant colonies get the majority of their sustenance from honeydew. This sugary sweet substance is excreted by certain insect species that mainly eat plant roots. To multiply their chances of success, the species also regularly consumes many different insects.
These habits demonstrate that the pavement ant likes sweets and proteins, a characteristic that it shares with several other Feasterville ant species. Also like other ants, the pavement ant finds many attractive items in kitchens, pantries, dining rooms and cafeterias. Food that is sweet, contains protein or is fatty or greasy is high on the list of the pavement ant's preferences.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY PAVEMENT ANTS
Whether they nest in open soil or paved surfaces, pavement ant colonies create terrible messes with their multiple piles of soil. Any cracks in pavement can be enlarged by the tunneling activity, and smaller surfaces, like pavers or stepping stones, can become uneven due to the pavement ants' digging.
These pests generally do not favor nesting in wood, but the fact that they made it indoors suggests that the structure has vulnerabilities that would allow other pests to come indoors. Some of these pests are extremely destructive to wood and other building materials, suggesting the need for an early intervention.
It is not always easy for people to discover the openings that pests may be using to get inside. This is why it is wise to ask an exterminator to handle this task.
ARE PAVEMENT ANTS AGGRESSIVE?
Although they have stingers and do bite to protect themselves, pavement ants rarely use these aggressive tactics on people. Instead, they fight with other pests, including neighboring pavement ant colonies.
Nonetheless, people do occasionally have the impression that pavement ants are an aggressive species. This is probably owed to the number of ants that are found in the average pavement ant colony. With tens of thousands of members, it can seem like wave after wave of ants are invading a building.
DO PAVEMENT ANTS CARRY DISEASE?
Like other ant species, pavement ants forage near and far for food. Sewers, garbage cans, dumpsters and animal carcasses are just a few examples. These are places in which it is easy for the ants to pick up bacteria that are then transmitted to various surfaces in offices and homes. Some of these surfaces are used for preparing food or eating, and this is how bacteria like salmonella are able to cause food poisoning.
Until the ant infestation is eliminated, the human occupants of the building are more likely to get sick.
HOW TO PAVEMENT DETECT ANTS
Signs of a pavement ant infestation include:
• Tiny soil mounds on paved surfaces • Dead ants discovered anywhere inside • Numerous ants found on pavement or foundations • Ants congregating in kitchens and pantries
HOW TO PREVENT PAVEMENT ANTS
To help prevent pavement ant problems the following steps should be taken:
• Seal up cracks in paved surfaces and building exteriors • Prevent foliage from making contact with buildings • Correct water leaks and standing water issues • Use pest-proof food storage containers • Ensure that the places in which food is stored, prepared or eaten are more frequently cleaned • Keep garbage cans clean
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.
