Pavement ants, also known as Tetramorium Caespitum, are not quite on everyone’s radar right now BUT we should be aware that they are coming sooner than we expect. With March being less than a month away, spring is right around the corner.
We want to help you stay ahead of these pests this year
with some facts and tips for dealing with these pests!
Here are some general facts to help you better understand the life and purpose of the Pavement Ant.
General Facts:
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They like to eat anything and everything; from seeds, fruit and bread to nuts, meats and other insects.
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A unique characteristic of their body is that their limbs are lighter in color, in comparison to the rest of the body.
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Colonies are made up of:
– Workers, their job is to bring food back to and protect the colony.
– Queens, they are to lay eggs to grow the numbers of the colony.
– Drones, to help the queens reproduce these eggs and care for them.
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While the females’ spines on their thorax are prominent, the males are not.
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Under sidewalks, large rocks and building slabs are where colonies will normally form.
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In Spring and Summer while looking for territory they will battle with other colonies for it.
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There can be over a thousand ants in one colony.
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Reproduction is also at its highest during the Spring and Summer months.
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It takes about 3 months for a worker ant to form, form an egg being laid by a queen.
Pest Facts:
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They are known for digging under the pavement of your house to get to the sand underneath. They enter through small cracks in foundation walls and concrete slabs.
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Piles of soil and sand will appear in areas where these ants deposit debris from their nests. In the warmer months, you will see these mounds on the sidewalks. In cooler months, you will see them on top of foundational walls and near concrete cracks.
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Because of the wide range in what they are able to consume, they will be able to get into and destroy all packages of food whether or not they are open. Not to mention, any already prepared foods that you leave out for an extended period of time.
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If you interrupt a worker ant while they are trying to bring your food back to the colony, they may begin to bite and sting you.
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The best way to get rid of these pests is through bait, that the workers will be able to take back to the colony and queen to share with them.