Pavement Ant

Joseph Berger

Pavement Ant

Whitney Crenshaw, Colorado State University

Pavement Ant

General Description
Pavement ants are dark brown-black and about one-sixth of an inch long. They forage 30 feet or more from their nest in search of a variety of foods, including grease and oils, seeds, sweets and honeydew (the sugary waste of aphids). They are often seen indoors after heavy rain drenches their underground territories. Probably the most common ant in structures, the pavement ant, is so named because it excavates an underground nest and pushes the soil into conical mounds along rocks, concrete slabs, sidewalks and driveways. Nests also can be found in logs, mulch, wall and floor voids, and insulation.


General Control
See general control of ants at the beginning of this section.