Pavement Ants
Common Name
Scientific Name
Pavement Ant
Tetramorium caespitum
Identification:
Pavement ants, which are a common household pest, are dark brown to black in color and range from two and a half to five millimeters in length. There are noticeable furrows or lines on the head and thorax of these ants. There are workers, winged or reproductive ants, and queens. The reproductive pavement ant is about twice the size of the worker. Queens are the largest members of the colony, often two to three times larger than workers. Queens possess wings but break them off after mating. They have very large abdomens and can live for a number of years.
Biology:
Pavement Ants reproduce much like many other ant species. In the spring and summers, the winged males and females (soon to be queens) swarm and mate. The male dies and the female chews off her wings, and burrows herself into the ground to lay her eggs. After two to three months her young is born and they become workers now her only job is to lay eggs. The workers then tend to both the queen and her larvae, and build the nest, creating the main nest (parent colony) and satellite colonies (colonies that have no larvae or queen, just workers). Each colony of has thousands of workers, multiple queens, and is usually located in one main area.
Habits:
The most common areas for pavement ants to create their nests are mainly inside or along side sidewalks, patios, driveways, foundations of homes, under mulch, landscaping, rocks, and logs. When and if these ants reach the inside of a home they create nests in wall voids, under toilets and water heaters, they can also be found under or inside insulation in walls and attics. During the winter or cooler months they tend to create nests near heat sources. If the area is large enough one ant colony can turn into hundreds of colonies within a short period of time.
