Sidewalk Ants
Sidewalk ants, or pavement ants, are familiar to everyone. They are commonly seen during summer months on driveways, patio slabs, and walkways. They will sometimes be seen pushing piles of sand and other debris from cracks and from along slab edges. There are many different species, of different size and appearance.
Sidewalk ants are beneficial insects, and rarely (with one exception below) invade structures in any significant numbers. In cases where just too many of them are being found in an area where they are not wanted, the numbers may be controlled by application of a residual insecticide.
One local sidewalk ant species may become an interior pest, sometimes invading structures (especially those built on concrete slabs) in great numbers. These ants are very small, about the size of odorous house ants but slenderer; the head is as large as or larger than the abdomen. When inside, they are usually found along baseboards or the edges of hardwood or tiled areas. The best method for control involves the use of a transfer insecticide – these types of products are not available to anyone without a pest control license.
