Yes, pavement ants nest in the soil under driveways, walkways, patios, and basement slabs. Once they do that, they’re able to enter buildings through expansion joints and settling cracks.
Pavement ants are a common problem in Michigan homes. They nest in soil beneath flat and hard surfaces. You can find them at work under sidewalks, driveways, patios, garage floors, and basement slabs. All give them a stable roof and plenty of warmth to be absorbed and released by concrete. Moisture is also constant, which they prefer. The telltale sign of pavement ants is small mounds of excavated soil, pushed up through joints and cracks.
It’s not hard for pavement ants to get inside. Expansion joints where slabs meet foundation walls are a great way to get in, as is the seam where garage floors meet walls. Just about every home has, or will soon have, hairline settling cracks. Even when those aren’t present, there are openings cut around plumbing and electrical wires. Pavement ants can get in through these routes as well. Trails often show up first in basements and at the base of walls, and sometimes under sinks or around the water heater or floor drain.
Pavement ants are not a structural threat. They won’t break down wood or masonry. But they are annoying and persistent. They will forage for grease, sweets, and protein, and if you don’t handle them, you’ll keep finding them in your kitchen.
To deal with pavement ants, you need to reach the colony. Spraying trails removes foragers but leaves the queens, so the colony doesn’t even notice your efforts. The better method is to place bait along traffic routes. Workers take it back to the colony where it reaches the queen. Once that happens, the colony is sent into collapse. It also helps, after you’ve given the bait a few days to be taken up, to use soapy water to wipe down trails so ants can’t find the scent map and to seal up the entrances ants are using to get inside.
If ants are coming up through your slab or foundation, Mosquito Squad of Lansing can help. Mosquito Squad treats the ant colonies around your foundation and the entry points they use. This will help you protect your basement and kitchen at the source.
