Pavement Ant - Maheu&Maheu - Pest management

Pavement Ant Ants

Elimination

Pavers can sometimes infiltrate homes in search of food, which they then bring back to their nests. When observed indoors, it is usually that they come from outside, although there may be some exceptions.

Indeed, it happens, although more rarely, that a nest is established inside the house, especially near a heat source such as a radiator, a ventilation duct or another warm structure. In this case, the ants can be active all year long, even in winter, which is a sign of an internal nest. If the infestation is significant or a nest is suspected inside, it may be useful to consult a specialist to assess the extent of the problem and determine appropriate measures.

In all situations, the intervention should first be concentrated outside, especially around the foundations of the house and near the visible nests, often identified by small mounds of earth.

Do not hesitate to seek the expertise of a qualified technician from our team in order to assess the situation and properly handle it.

Actions

Request assistance from one of our pest management experts

Prevention

Seal cracks & crevices in concrete slabs and seal the outsides of windows and doors at ground level

Description and development

The pavement ant (Tetramorium caespitum ) is about 3 mm long. It tends to be dark brown. It is distinguished by one pair of spines (small protrusions) on the back and numerous parallel grooves on the head and thorax. These characteristics can be easily seen under a stereoscopic microscope.

Ants are social insects that live in colonies. They are led by a queen ant. Queen ants are the only females in the colony that are winged at the beginning of their adult lives. The other females are wingless workers who maintain the nest and search for food. At a specific time, which varies according to species, winged males and females leave the colony to mate. This is called the nuptial flight.

In the case of the pavement ant, the nuptial flight occurs mainly in early summer, but sexual forms (winged ants) can be seen throughout the season. After mating, the fertilized female finds a suitable site on the ground to dig a nesting chamber for the new colony. Several days later, she starts to lay 5 to 20 eggs per day. When mature, the colony may number several thousand individuals.

Habits

The pavement ant makes its nest in the ground near or under sidewalks or driveways and often under the foundations of buildings. When visible, the outside of the nest looks like a small mound of sand between cracks in the pavement.

Pavement ants have a varied diet. They can feed on the honeydew produced by certain insects, sweet substances, grease, seeds, or other insects. The workers can enter buildings through cracks in concrete slabs to forage for food. Nests may be found near a heat source (radiator, heating pipe, etc.) inside buildings. At that point, they can stay in your home all year long.

Tips

If a colony has taken up residence in your home, a visit from a technician is recommended. Treatment starts off with baiting specific to this type of ant and finishes with a localized application of insecticide to eliminate the last individuals. In more complicated cases, injections of insecticide under concrete slabs should be considered. Concrete slabs must be pierced at regular intervals so that a device can be inserted to inject insecticide.

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