Small ants, big crowds
Pavement ants live under the concrete around your home and follow cracks inside looking for food.
Look for sand piles.
Small mounds of soil or sand along driveway and sidewalk cracks mean a nest is below.
Cut off food.
Crumbs, pet food and sticky spills are what pull them inside.
Treat the source.
A barrier around the home plus treatment where they enter stops the trails.
Pavement ants are small, dark brown to black ants that nest under driveways, sidewalks, patios and home slabs. They’re one of the most common ants in Kansas City yards. They come inside through cracks looking for food, especially sweets, grease and pet food.
Ants are covered on all of our home pest control plans. Here’s how to spot pavement ants and keep them out.
What do pavement ants look like?
Pavement ants are about 1/8 inch long and dark brown to black, with lighter legs. The workers in a colony are all about the same size.
Up close, the head and middle of the body have fine parallel grooves, and two tiny spines point up from the back. You’ll usually need a magnifying glass to see them.
Where do pavement ants nest?
Pavement ants nest in soil under concrete, pavers and stones. Look for tiny piles of sand or soil pushed up along cracks in driveways, sidewalks, patios and foundation edges.
In spring, you may see big groups of them on a sidewalk. That’s usually two neighboring colonies fighting over territory.
Why are pavement ants coming inside?
Pavement ants come inside for food and water. They find their way in through slab cracks, expansion joints, gaps around doors and openings where pipes come through the floor.
Ant activity in KC homes surges in late summer, usually around August. Our guide on how to tell if you have an ant infestation covers more signs.
How do you get rid of pavement ants?
Cut off their food, seal entry points and treat both the nest area and the trails. Wiping up one line of ants won’t reach the colony under the concrete.
- Wipe up crumbs and sticky spills right away.
- Store food, including pet food, in sealed containers.
- Fix leaky faucets and pipes.
- Caulk cracks along baseboards and around pipes.
- Skip store-bought sprays on the trail. They kill the ants you see but not the colony, and may scatter the rest.
Our post on keeping pests out of your kitchen has more food storage tips.
How do we treat pavement ants?
On each visit we inspect your home, yard and entry points, treat an exterior barrier and treat inside where needed. Treatment is matched to your home’s layout, pests and season.
Allow 10 to 14 days for products to work. If ants come back between visits, our free re-service guarantee has you covered. See our ant page for other ants we treat in KC.
See why you have ants in the kitchen, and whether ant bait vs spray works better.
Ants marching across the kitchen floor? Call 913-735-5451, answered 24/7, or schedule online. Most services can be scheduled same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pavement ants are mostly a nuisance and don’t damage wood the way carpenter ants do. They can get into food and contaminate it, so it’s worth stopping them early.
Pavement ants come inside looking for food and water, usually through slab cracks, expansion joints or gaps around doors. Crumbs, sweets, grease and pet food are the biggest draws.
Pavement ants are about 1/8 inch long and nest under concrete, while carpenter ants are much larger and nest in wood. Both are covered on Rock Pest plans.
Pavement ant colonies live under concrete year round, so they can return each spring and summer when food and warm weather line up. Regular service keeps a barrier in place to stop them before they get inside.
Yes, pavement ants and other ants, including carpenter ants, are covered on every Rock Pest recurring plan. Free re-service between scheduled visits is included.
