Pavement Ants

Learn About the Pavement Ants

Pavement Ants (Tetramorium caespitum) are small pests (ranging from 1/10 to 1/16 inches in length) that can be found in many parts of the United States, as far north as Canada and as far south as Florida.  These pests also thrive in parts of California, Mid-West and Southeastern United States.

• Pavement ants  were introduced to the United States from Europe and occur throughout the eastern United States. They are an important pest in the Midwest and New England. They build nests along sidewalks, building foundations, and under stones, boards, bricks, and mulch or leaf piles.
• Each individual colony contains thousands of workers, multiple queens and is usually located at one particular site; White Footed Ants and Carpenter Ants can have satellite colonies or build huge nests that cover hundreds of feet.
• This is a two-node ant (has two segments or nodes on its pedicel) and is dark brown in color. Its antennae has 12 segments (which ends in a 3 segmented club) and its thorax has one set of spines. The first physical characteristic noticed (when viewed under a microscope or 30x lens) is the lines which seem to have been sculptured on the ant's head. These grooves are evident on the head and thorax.
• Pavement ants are one of the most common small ants invading homes. These ants readily make trails to and from food sources and often forage along the edge of carpeting or baseboards. They are also common around the base of toilets. They often nest in protected areas so the nests may be hard to locate, but this is essential to manage infestations of this species. There can be several thousand in a colony.