Pavement Ant

Tetramorium caespitum

Pavement Ant Facts

These sugar ants are no walk in the park. This invasive species was introduced to this country during the 1700s and 1800s from European merchant ships. These ships were filled with soil (and ants) that acted as a ballast during the voyage. Once these ships carrying the ants arrived in port, the ships were emptied of the soil and replaced with goods to bring back across the Atlantic. The pavement ant is found all across the United States. They span from the New England and Mid-Atlantic states down through Tennessee and across the Midwest. These ants are also found in some parts of California and Washington.

Pavement Ant Bites

Pavement ants have the potential to sting and bite humans when the colony is disturbed, but it rarely happens. Applying a cold compress should be the only treatment you need for a pavement ant bite.

Pavement Ant Infestation

Pavement ants will form their colonies under sidewalks, building slabs, and large rocks. Though they do not often nest inside, they can enter buildings through cracks in foundations while searching for food. Those small piles of sand or soil that you spot on your sidewalk or driveway are entrances to a pavement ant nest and are created as the ants excavate tunnels underground.

Pavement ant infestations can attack crops out of hunger. They will eat the roots of young plants, killing them before they reach maturity.

Types of Pavement Ants

Pavement Ant Identification

Commonly described as sugar ants

Worker pavement ants are about 3/16 inch long (5mm to 6mm). They vary in color from dark brown to black, and have parallel lines running from their heads down across their backs. Pavement ants have stingers. The swarmers who reproduce have wings and are double the size of the worker ants. They usually appear in the spring, but they are known to emerge at any time throughout the year in warm environments. It is not unheard of to see them swarm in the late fall all the way until February, even in colder climates. After the initial swarm, the ants will mate and the queens will burrow underground to begin laying eggs. The worker pavement ants will reach adulthood after 2 to 3 months.

Pavement Ants In The Home & The Garden

Pavement ants in your home can be found foraging after the sun goes down, going as far as 30 feet away from the colony to look for food. The pavement ant or sugar ant is also a late-night snacker. Pavement ants will feed on nectar, fruit, syrups, or anything sugary. They will also forage for grease, dead insects, and small seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions