Photo: Bradley Rentz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kansas City Pest Identification
Tetramorium immigransPavement Ant Identification
The ant behind the little sand piles between sidewalk slabs and along the driveway edge. Common in KC subdivisions on slab foundations, where they come up through expansion joints into the house.
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How to Identify It
Dark brown to blackish, with pale legs and antennae, fine parallel ridges on the head and thorax, and a two-node waist. Slow-moving compared to odorous house ants. Small crater-shaped mounds in pavement cracks are the signature.
Size: Workers 2.5–4 mm
Commonly Confused With
Odorous house ants (faster, no ridges, coconut smell) and field ants outdoors. In spring, pavement ant "wars" — hundreds of ants fighting on a sidewalk — are often reported as a swarm.
Why It Shows Up
Greasy and sweet foods. Colonies under slabs, patios, and driveways follow plumbing penetrations and expansion joints into kitchens and utility rooms, especially on slab homes and in basements with a floor drain.
Where Homeowners Find It
Kitchen floors along cabinet kickplates, around floor drains, under appliances, and at the garage-to-house threshold. Outdoors: sidewalk seams, patio pavers, and along the foundation edge.
Seasonal Activity in KC
Active March through November; swarms in June and July, sometimes emerging indoors from under a slab.
Risk Level
Nuisance pest. They can sting but rarely do; the main issue is food contamination and the difficulty of reaching a nest under concrete.
What You Can Do Yourself
- • Protein/grease baits (not just sweet) placed along the kickplate trail.
- • Seal the gap where the slab meets the wall behind cabinets and around plumbing.
- • Sweep or hose away sidewalk mounds and reduce nearby mulch.
What Professional Treatment Involves
Exterior treatment injected into pavement cracks and expansion joints plus a foundation perimeter treatment, with indoor baiting at the entry points. Slab homes sometimes need treatment at plumbing penetrations under the kitchen.
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Common Questions
How do I tell a pavement ant from something that looks similar?
Odorous house ants (faster, no ridges, coconut smell) and field ants outdoors. In spring, pavement ant "wars" — hundreds of ants fighting on a sidewalk — are often reported as a swarm.
Do I need professional treatment for pavement ant?
Exterior treatment injected into pavement cracks and expansion joints plus a foundation perimeter treatment, with indoor baiting at the entry points. Slab homes sometimes need treatment at plumbing penetrations under the kitchen.