If you were to go outside right now, how long would it take you to find an ant? For most, it would not take long. Ants are everywhere. They build their nests all over the place and are constantly moving about looking for food, water, and new places to establish colonies. One species of ants that are common in our area and that cause trouble for property owners is pavement ants. These tiny pests don’t just build nests around man-made structures, but will regularly invade living areas. If you are looking for a good way to control these pests around your Salk Lake City home or business, here is a complete guide to help you do just that.
Where Pavement Ants Live
It doesn’t take a master detective to deduce that pavement ants live around paved areas. These pests are most commonly found near sidewalks, along the edges of driveways, and next to the foundations of homes and businesses. As temperatures drop outside and during times of bad weather, pavement ants will migrate indoors and build nests inside basements, wall voids, and in other secluded areas. This is where the real problems begin.
How Pavement Ants Get Inside
Because pavement ants typically live so close to the exterior of homes and businesses, it is a natural next step to come inside. The question is, how do these pests invade living areas? Most often, they come inside through cracks, gaps, and holes in the exterior foundation of structures. If doors and windows are regularly left open, they will use these openings to get inside, considering that they don’t have intact screens. Finally, pavement ants crawl inside through damaged seals such as ripped weatherstripping, tattered door sweeps, and shifting door/window frames.
Do Pavement Ants Destroy Pavement?
Unlike their close cousins, carpenter ants, pavement ants do not cause any serious damage to buildings or property. These pests are mostly considered a nuisance and only sometimes cause more serious problems.
Are Pavement Ants Dangerous?
Pavement ants are not the most dangerous pests you could have inside your home or business, but they are by no means harmless. Like many other species of ants, pavement ants regularly crawl through trash and over other dirty surfaces, picking up bacteria and other disease-causing organisms in the process. They then carry these sickness vectors throughout structures, infecting surfaces and contaminating left-out and stored food products.
Some Strategies To Keep Out Pavement Ants
If you are not having trouble with pavement ants on your property right now, it doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. To help you avoid running into these annoying and sometimes dangerous pests, here are some prevention and exclusion tips you should try:
Keep your yard clear of clutter and your driveway clean.
Identify and seal off cracks, gaps, and holes in your home’s or business’s exterior foundation using a caulking gun.
Address problems and damage to window/door screens, door sweeps, and weatherstripping.
Pick up food messes and wipe up drink spills as they happen around your property.
Clean out your pet’s food and water bowls after they finish each meal.
The Best Control Tip For Pavement Ants
There is only one guaranteed way to eliminate and prevent pavement ants, and that is with professional home pest control or commercial pest management services. At Pest Pro Pest Control, we offer high-quality and reliable treatments to ensure annoying and dangerous pests like pavement ants stay outside where they belong. We are a customer-first company who puts out clients’ needs above all else. Contact our team today to find out how we treat local pests and schedule your Salt Lake City property for a visit.