Named for their habit of nesting in pavement seams, the pavement ant is a common nuisance for Levittown area homes and businesses. Their activity is especially visible during the summer as the population of these ants explodes in paved surfaces.
These ants can become a problem if they make their way indoors where it is possible for them to contaminate food that is intended for consumption by people or pets.
Accordingly, spring is the best time to organize professional pavement ant control. This means that the problem can be addressed before the population grows exponentially.
Eliminating a pavement ant nest can be far more challenging than most people realize. Additionally, the danger for other pest problems being present at the same time is high. This makes hiring a pest management professional the only sensible course of action.
WHAT DO
PAVEMENT
ANTS LOOK LIKE?
Worker pavement ants are quite small, usually ranging between one-sixteenth and one eighth of an inch long. Brown and black are the most common colors. Under magnification, it is possible to see that these ants have antennae and legs that are lighter colors than their bodies. Moreover, the thorax features a pair of spines and is unevenly shaped, and the petiole segment between the thorax and abdomen has two nodes.
WHERE DO
PAVEMENT
ANTS LIVE?
Pavement ants virtually always nest outdoors, making use of cracks in pavement to get underneath cement slabs, sidewalks, bricks, stones, logs, patio blocks and even the cracks in curbs. The most obvious sign on the surface of a pavement ant nest below is the presence of small piles of soil or sand. Typically, members of the species comes into a home to forage for food, but if a suitable nesting spot is found in insulation, beneath a floor or behind a wall, a nest may be established.
WHAT DO
PAVEMENT
ANTS EAT?
Members of the species are attracted to a relatively wide variety of foods. Seeds, honeydew, plant sap and insects all are common natural sources of nutrition. When they come indoors, these ants may seek bread, honey, cheese, nuts, meat and a variety of other foods. Essentially, anything that is fatty or greasy is likely to attract the pavement ants' attention.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY
PAVEMENT
ANTS
The good news is that pavement ants rarely cause structural damage to homes. Nonetheless, a large colony may cause a paved surface to become unsettled or uneven, which represents a trip hazard. Wherever one nest of pavement ants is found, more are certain to be in the immediate vicinity. This means that several colonies may be working at the same time to undermine a patio or a path.
ARE
PAVEMENT
ANTS AGGRESSIVE?
Although their colonies can contain multiple thousands of members, pavement ants are not considered dangerous. In fact, they only show aggression to members of other pavement ant colonies as this species is known to be quite territorial.
DO
PAVEMENT
ANTS CARRY DISEASE?
People may be bitten by a pavement ant on a rare occasion, but this is extremely unlikely to cause any illness. Instead, it is wise to be vigilant if there is evidence that pavement ants have made their way indoors.
Like other ant species, the omnivorous pavement ant searches high and low for sources of food. With their liking for both protein and sugar, they may forage in everything from sewers and garbage cans to animal carcasses. The workers then may make their way into a kitchen where they contaminate food and the surfaces on which food is prepared.
Unless contaminated food is thrown away and contaminated surfaces are properly disinfected, food poisoning is likely to occur. In fact, this is a common illness that is associated with the otherwise relatively harmless infestation.
HOW TO DETECT
PAVEMENT
ANTS
Signs of a pavement ant infestation include:
• Small dirt mounds found adjacent to or on paved surfaces • Trails of pavement ants on countertops, floors and pavement • Swarms of winged pavement ants in the spring either outside or indoors
HOW TO PREVENT
PAVEMENT
ANTS
Follow these steps to help prevent pavement ant control issues:
• Keep kitchen surfaces clean and free of crumbs and spills • Eliminate clutter from kitchen counters and tables • Decant food into metal or glass containers before storing it in cupboards or the pantry • Keep pet food stored in a sturdy, lidded container until mealtime • Rinse recyclables before placing them in bins • Keep garbage cans clean • Ensure that lids on garbage cans are tight • Fix cracks in pavement slabs and foundations • Seal gaps around utility connections and water heaters • Ensure that windows and doors are properly sealed • Repair torn screens on windows and doors • Trim bushes and trees so that they do not contact the home's exterior
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.
