Yes, ants often excavate galleries below the ground and carry loose soil to the surface of the lawn. When they do this, it often results in telltale mounds, often caused by pavement ants, field ants, and cornfield ants in Central Illinois.
Most ants nest underground. When you see their mounds, you’re not seeing a nest so much as you’re seeing all the dirt they removed to make a nest. That’s why if you rake a mound flat, it doesn’t do anything about the ant problems.
If you look closely at the mound, it can tell you something about the ants you’re dealing with. Small, fine, and crater-like piles pushed through cracks in hardscaping point to pavement ants. Larger loose mounds of coarse soil in a lawn often mean field ants. Small and scattered mounds in turf are typically more common of cornfield ants.
This tends to happen the most in spring after rain. Colonies expand after winter, and rain drives ants to start moving soil and rebuild. For the most part, they’re nothing more than annoying. They don’t damage structures the way carpenter ants do. But they do cause uneven turf that can dull mower blades. And if the ants get too close to your home, it can encourage them to go toward your foundation and eventually into your kitchen.
To treat for ants, the best thing to do is use bait. Baits are then carried by foragers and back to queens. Once the queens take the bait, it sends the colony into collapse. This is vastly more effective than knocking down mounds. Beyond that, you can often reduce the presence of ants near your hardscaping by filling gaps with polymeric sand and fixing drainage issues. If you have mulch near your home’s foundation, it’s also a good idea to pull it back.
If ant mounds keep appearing in your lawn, Mosquito Squad of Central Illinois can help. Mosquito Squad treats the ant colonies in your yard and around your foundation. This will help you protect your lawn and keep the trails from reaching your door.
