Just like their namesake pavement ants are most often found in cracks of pavement, bricks, patio blocks and many other small outdoor crevices. Pavement ants are considered a nuisance pest and will often make their way inside residential homes and commercial buildings in search of food. Once they have established themselves inside they will build nests under flooring, behind walls, and in insulation.
Identification of Pavement Ants
Pavement ants can be identified by their brownish-black bodies, pale-colored legs and antennae. They are approximately 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch in length and even though they are not considered dangerous to people or property they are a nuisance to home and business owners. Pavement ants are attracted to a wide variety of insects, seeds, fruits, plant sap, and common household items including cheese, meat, bread, and honey. Once inside the structure, they will nest inside walls, floors, and insulation. In winter months they will seek out the warmest area of the home often following pipes to access the upstairs areas inside buildings.
Signs of a Pavement Ant Infestation
Although pavement ants are not considered a threat to the occupants of the home they are annoying and can become overwhelming when found in large numbers. Signs that you have a pavement ant infestation include seeing activity in the form of worker ants in your home particularly the kitchen area. It is very common for pavement ants to invade a property in large numbers often completely overtaking homes, businesses and outdoor eating areas as they hunt for their next meal.
Pavement Ant Prevention
Preventing pavement ants from establishing themselves in your home requires year-round pest control maintenance services but there are some things that you can do to protect your home from pavement ants and other nuisance pests.
• Trim bushes, shrubs and trees away from the outside of your property as pavement ants will utilize the branches to gain easy access into the home. Also, dispose of grass clippings and mulch piles that are close to the structure as these make ideal nesting sites.
• Identify cracks and crevices around your home's foundation and seal them tightly. Also, be sure to caulk any gaps found around your windows and doors to further protect your property.
• Remove garbage bags from your home immediately and store them in an outside trash can that has a close-fitting lid until your regular trash pickup.
• Package open food products immediately and store them inside a sealed food container or place them in the refrigerator.
Pavement Ant Control
Pavement ant control can be particularly challenging for home and business owners as the ants tend to live in colonies that contain multiple queens and a large number of worker ants. A queen will establish a new colony by laying eggs. Once hatched, the worker ants will take care of the Queen’s progeny until they become adults. Another important job of the worker ants is to transfer the young to different locations within the property to protect them from sudden changes in moisture and temperature. The majority of ant control products available in supermarkets and hardware stores are not particularly effective in eradicating the pavement ant populations and often contain pesticides and chemicals that can be harmful. Your A-Tex Pest Management specialist is professionally trained to find and identify the nests to resolve the current ant infestation problem and prevent another one from occurring.
Pavement Ant Inspection, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park, Texas
For more information regarding pavement ant removal and control, contact the knowledgeable experts at A-Tex Pest Management today.