ANN ARBOR, MIANN ARBOR, MIPavement ants are small brown to reddish brown ants that commonly nest in soil beneath sidewalks, driveways, patios, stones, concrete slabs, and building foundations. They may enter homes through cracks and expansion joints while searching for food or moisture, and colonies near heated slab foundations can remain noticeable indoors even during Michigan winter weather.
Honorable Pest Control provides pavement ant inspection and treatment for homes in Ann Arbor and communities within its published Southeast Michigan service area. Treatment is based on confirmed pavement ant activity, where the colony appears to be nesting, and whether the ants are primarily outside, entering from the foundation, or nesting beneath a slab or inside a structural void.
Color and size alone are not enough for reliable species identification. Pavement ants can be confused with other small household ants. Under magnification, pavement ants have two nodes between the thorax and abdomen, small thoracic spines, and fine grooves on the head and thorax. A sample or clear close photograph can help with initial identification, but a technician may still need to inspect the property. See also MSU pavement ant guidance.
Pavement ants usually nest in soil under hard surfaces or concealed objects. Around homes, common sites include the edges of concrete slabs, sidewalk and driveway cracks, patio pavers, foundation gaps, stones, logs, and areas beside buildings. They can also be found beneath slab construction or in wall voids when conditions allow.
Small mounds of excavated soil can be a useful clue, but not every ant trail leads to an obvious outdoor mound. When ants are appearing indoors, the treatment plan should account for the trail, food source, access route, and likely nest location rather than assuming the entire colony is directly below the visible ants.
Pavement ants forage on a wide range of foods, including sweets, bread, grease, meat, pet food, nuts, and insects. Indoor activity often increases when workers find an accessible food or moisture source and establish a trail back to the nest.
Seeing pavement ants in a kitchen does not mean the home is dirty, and seeing ants in winter does not automatically mean structural damage. Pavement ants nesting under concrete slab construction can be active indoors year round, and their presence is generally a nuisance rather than a sign that the building is being damaged.
The technician checks the size, color, trail pattern, likely entry points, soil mounds, slab edges, and other clues that support pavement ant identification.
Outdoor nest locations may be visible around cracks or slab edges. Indoor activity may require tracing trails toward foundation gaps, plumbing routes, or heated slab areas.
Depending on the nest location and product label, control may involve bait, direct treatment of an accessible outdoor nest, a labeled crack and crevice application, or an exterior treatment around active areas. Pavement ants nesting beneath heated slabs are often good candidates for baiting because the nest itself may not be directly accessible.
Cleaning food residue, storing food, managing pet food, repairing leaks, and sealing useful entry points can reduce the conditions supporting indoor trails.
The technician explains what activity is expected after treatment, what not to disturb, and when remaining trails or renewed swarming justify a follow up call.
No single method fits every pavement ant job. The treatment choice depends on where the colony is located and what the product label allows at that site.
Store bought products are not automatically useless, but they must be correctly labeled for the pest and site. Baits can be useful for pavement ants when placed where workers are actively foraging. Direct nest treatment can also work when an outdoor nest is located. The key is matching the method to the nest and avoiding applications that interfere with the selected treatment.
This page focuses on pavement ants. Honorable's general ant control page is the better starting point when the species is unknown, when several ant species may be present, or when the problem involves carpenter ants, odorous house ants, pharaoh ants, acrobat ants, or another household species.
Compare options on our residential pest control page.
Ants are listed among the pests covered by Honorable Shield. Confirm current plan terms before enrollment.
Pavement ants are generally considered nuisance ants. They can forage on food and food preparation surfaces, so sanitation matters, but they are not known for damaging wood structures the way carpenter ants can.
A colony associated with a heated slab, foundation, or indoor void can remain active when outdoor temperatures are low. Winter pavement ant activity can therefore point to a nest in or very near the structure, but it does not by itself mean the building is being damaged.
Current extension guidance commonly describes the pavement ant, Tetramorium immigrans, as having one queen per colony rather than multiple queens in every colony.
A contact spray can kill ants it reaches, but it may not affect a colony hidden under a slab or foundation. Bait or direct nest treatment may be more useful depending on the nest location. Do not spray over bait or use products in a way that conflicts with their labels.
Pavement ants commonly nest in soil below or beside concrete, but their presence is not evidence that they are structurally damaging the foundation. They use existing cracks, gaps, soil spaces, and concealed nesting sites.
Ants are listed among the pests covered by the current Honorable Shield plan. Confirm the current written plan terms, service scope, reservice conditions, and property specific pricing before enrollment.
If small ants are repeatedly trailing through the kitchen, basement, garage, or foundation area, or you are seeing soil mounds along concrete cracks, Honorable Pest Control can inspect the activity and recommend a pavement ant treatment plan that fits the nest location and property.