There are few, if any, which can claim they have never crossed paths with an ant. With over 12,000 species found throughout most parts of the world, they are very adaptable and can flourish in nearly any environment. Ants are one of the oldest living insects roaming the earth today and with their survival instincts, they can be a challenge to remove from your home or business. Typically, ants are social insects, meaning they work together in a colony to be a success. Most ants have a queen, workers, and soldier factions. Though ants are thought of as a mere nuisance, their thievery of food and household items can be more than annoying the painful pinches they deliver when they feel threatened can be mildly painful. Throughout Texas, there are quite a few ants common to the area, but today, we at A-Tex Pest Management would like to share some of the basics concerning pavement ants.
Pavement Ant Identification
Being one of the smaller ant species, pavement ants range 1/16” – 1/8” in length. Their abdomens are black and their six legs and antennae are paler than the rest of their blackish-brown bodies. Across the head and thorax are grooves and pavement ants have two nodes on the petiole, making their spine fairly distinct. Pavement ants are active all year long like most other ants but because of the swarmers (reproducers) leaving the colony to begin the new one activity, they seem more active in June and July. Pavement ant’s diet consists primarily of fruit, honeydew, sweets, pet foods, greasy foods and insects.
Where Do Pavement Ants Nest?
They are rightfully named pavement ants because of the preferred locations they construct their nests including under stones, cracks of pavement, under paved structures, and under the slab right next to buildings. Pavement ants will slip through expansion joints in slabs when nesting under the slab-on-grade construction in addition to cracks in slabs or other such openings to forage. These ants often nest in sidewalks, driveways, patios, curbs, and other like concrete objects and can frequently be seen busily removing the soil from such areas.
Inspecting for Pavement Ants
When you encounter these dark color ants working feverishly outside in close proximity to your home or business, inspect around large rocks, logs, underneath brick patios, and the home’s foundation along with any other pavement structure. In the event, you spot pavement ants check the sinks, toilets, plumbing lines, along the edges of carpets, behind baseboards, and the insulation of attics and wall voids. The trails and colony need to be efficiently treated in order to effectively remove pavement ants, which is more expertly done and successful with the assistance of a professional.
Pavement Ant Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park, Texas
More often than not, when pavement ants are found infiltrating homes, they are typically caught in the kitchen marching to pilfer some sweets and scavenge other crumbs. Typically, pavement ants avoid conflict, being more docile in nature, but will bite if threatened. Pavement ants do not necessarily pose a health risk but do have a rather unpleasant sting when they bite. Pavement ants have multiple queens within one colony, making extermination problematic. With the aid of A-Tex Pest Management, our technicians can ensure the pavement ants are thoroughly and efficiently removed from your home, call us today!