Integrated Pest Management
Pavement Ant
Pyramid ant (Gary Alpert, Harvard University, Bugwood.org)
Pyramid ants (Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org)
Pyramid ant mound (John Pearson, Bugguide.net)
Pest Description
- small; 1/8 inch long; color ranging from yellow, brown to black
- single node (bump between middle and rear body sections)
- worker ants of one size
- have a pyramid-shaped projection on top of the thorax
Host Plants, Diet & Damage
- feed on sweets and live and dead insects
- honeydew produced by aphids and other insects
- crater-like mounds can become dense and unsightly in turf and outdoor areas
- occasionally invade buildings in search of food or moisture
- can bite
Biology, Life Cycle & Damaging Life Stage
- one queen per colony
- prefer open, dry, sunny areas; soil nesting
- distinctive “crater” nests consisting of a hole surrounded by a mound of excavated soil
- nests are typically small and shallow
- common in the drier, sandier parts of the state
- adult workers are the damaging life stage
IPM Recommendations
- If the nest can be located, directly drench the shallow nest with an appropriately labeled insecticide.
- Use sweet ant baits.