Pavement
Introduction.
This ant gets its name from commonly locating its nest in or under cracks in pavement. Pavement ants where introduces from Europe by the early colonist. They are found in most of the eastern half of the United States and in California and Washington.
Recognition.
Workers monomorphic, about 1/16-1/8" long; queens about 3/8" long. Body light brown to black with
pailer legs and antennae. Head and Thorax furrowed/grooved with parallel lines. Antenna 12-segmented,
with 3-segmented club. Thorax with pair of small spines on upper back part, profile unevenly rounded.
Pedicel 2-segmented, Stinger present.
Swarmers can be distinguished from other ant swarmers by the presence of fine furrow/groove on their
head and thorax, similar to those of the workers.
Habits.
Inside, pavement ants will occasionally nest in walls, in insulation, and under floors. The most likely place is in ground-level masonry walls of the foundation and especially near some heat source in the winter. They often follow pipes, which come through slabs for access to upper floors of buildings through cracks in the slab and walls, slab expansion joints, and the natural opening of buildings. Although not aggressive, workers can bite and sting.
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