Pavement Ants: You
Won't Just Find Them on Sidewalks
If you find lines of small-to-medium sized, blackish ants trailing along water pipes or utility lines which pass through walls, especially from the outside or even through interior walls, they are very likely to be Pavement Ants. Their average colony contains 3,000-4,000 workers, and has several queens. Outside nests are usually located under the edge of a large stone or a sidewalk, hence the name “pavement” ants. They may nest in wall voids, or insulation, under a floor, or in ground-level masonry walls. Foraging trails may be 30 feet or longer from a nest. These ants will feed on nearly anything, but often show a preference for meats or grassy foods. They are not usually aggressive toward humans, but they sometimes bite and have a very painful sting as well. Workers of this species of ants are intermediate hosts of two different poultry tapeworms. The ideal way to control these ants is to find their nest and treat it thoroughly with a properly labeled insecticide, if the situation allows that to be done. Unusual structure situations, or inability to find the nest(s), may require the use of baits.