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How To Get Rid Of Pavement Ants? 10 Most Effective Ways!

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Pavement ants are ordinary home ants that are completely safe to handle. A significant infestation of pavement ants, on the other hand, can be a nuisance, and they can potentially transport diseases into the house.

These ants can live in cracks, stone, pavements, concrete slabs, and other places. They establish vast colonies and infiltrate your home, lawns, and yards.

Therefore, learning how to get rid of pavement ants is crucial. You’ve probably seen small heaps of sand and soil close to pavements, sidewalks, or along the edges of buildings at some point. Pavement ants are most likely responsible for the displaced dirt.

How To Get Rid Of Pavement Ants
Pavement Ants via Wikimedia

A Guide on How To Get Rid Of Pavement Ants

Pavement ants are highly adaptable and resilient invaders that seek out nesting locations near human activity. Their nests might be built close to or under homes, sidewalks, or patios because pavement ants are fond of warm environments.

They, unfortunately, pose a particular problem in lawns and yards. Building a nest close to where people walk might lead to frequent bites. It takes time and effort to get rid of pavement ants.

The first step is to look for pavement ants inside or outside your home. Once you’ve established their identification, you can use the below methods. Let’s see different ways how to get rid of pavement ants.

Use Diatomaceous Earth

The usage of Diatomaceous Earth powder is an environmentally friendly, organic, and safe technique to keep pavement ants away from your home. To protect your home from these pests, scatter the powder at different entry points and gaps inside the house.

Use Boiling Water

Putting hot water in the pavement ants’ shelters is one of the most common natural ways to get rid of ants. This approach is quite good at getting rid of ant infestations, but it should only be used outside because the hot water can harm your home.

Use Herbs and Spices

Employ ant repellent herbs and spices to keep pavement ants away from your home. To prevent pavement ants from colonizing, place insect repellent spices and herbs at their access point.

Whole cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, turmeric, citrus oil, cayenne pepper, lavender oil, and other ant repellant plants and spices are just a few examples. When the spices or herbs lose their flavor, keep replenishing them.

Use Water and Vinegar Solution

An effective way to get rid of pavement ants is by pouring hot water and vinegar over their nests. Pour the water and vinegar solution inside the pavement ants’ nests to kill them instantly.

Use Soap Water Solution

A soap water solution mixture may also be used to eliminate pavement ants. Mix one part of liquid soap in two parts of water, and spray the mixture directly on the nests. 

Use Ground Coffee

Another natural and common remedy for pavement ants is to use ground coffee. The caffeine in the coffee irritates the insect’s nervous system, killing them.

Sprinkle the ground coffee near the house’s cracks and holes. Pavement ants will be repelled by the ground coffee, prohibiting them from colonizing.

Use Peppermint Oil

A very effective and common way to get rid of pavement ants is using peppermint oil. This oil will suffocate the ants, as well as repel them.

Use Insecticides

One of the most common ways to get rid of ants is using insecticide. You can spray a commercial insecticide on pavement ants or their nests to kill them. Be sure to spray the insecticide on their nests, not on your lawn or plants, so that only the ants die.

The dust treatment can aid in the eradication of pavement ant colonies. Follow the instructions included with the pesticides to apply the dust to your home’s entry points, holes, and cracks.

The worker ants will be scattered and killed fast by dust and chemical sprays, and they will not return to their colony. The colony will thrive and eventually multiply in numbers if the queen survives. 

Killing Ant Colonies

Pavement ants have multiple queens in each colony. These queens start new colonies when they leave their original colony or die off. If you want to kill a pavement ant colony, it’s best to destroy the parent colony.

You can use “choking” to kill a pavement ant colony. To choke an anthill, you’ll have to pile up debris all around it, leaving just a small hole at the top of the anthill.

The ants will eventually go through this hole and drop into the debris pile. The pile of debris will make it hard for the ants to escape, thus causing them to die from starvation and exposure.

Using Baits

Pavement ants also like the dampness found next to buildings because it helps them keep their colonies warm during the winter months. In addition to choking colonies, you might want to try baiting them with poisons or insecticides as well.

Pavement ants are fond of sweets, so adding a poisoned sweetener close to their nest effectively kills the whole colony. If baiting is ineffective, you can use a professional exterminator to treat large colonies.

Using Poisonous Tablets

You can effectively get rid of pavement ants by using ant baits. These are poison tablets placed at specific locations near the colony to exterminate it.

When you successfully lure ants using ant baits, they will take it to their shelters, where it will be consumed by the queen and workers, resulting in the colony’s destruction.

Most commercial formulations contain boric acid, which effectively eliminates an entire colony of pavement ants.

Boric acid works slowly, meaning that for several days or weeks following treatment, small ants might still be seen around the baits. The tiny poisoned ants will feed larger colony members, resulting in death.

Natural Sugary Bait

Combine 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and a 1⁄2 teaspoon of borax to make natural ant bait. To attract pavement ants, put it near the entry point or in the cupboards. After the bait has dried up, replace it. You can also produce ant baits by combining sugar/honey and borax.

Call a Professional for Exterminating Ant Colonies

You can also opt to use a professional extermination service. They have access to very powerful insecticides and pesticides that only require a small amount to control a colony of pavement ants completely.


Final Remarks

Pavement ants derive their name from building their colonies in pavements, sidewalks, roads, and patios. They leave distinctive sand or dirt mounds near their nests.

Pavement ants are often harmless, but they may wreak havoc in any home in huge numbers. They devour sweet foods, leftovers, and dead materials, and they reside in damp, warm areas beneath sidewalks. These ants are not aggressive, but they can sting if they feel threatened.

Different natural and chemical treatments can be used to control pavement ant infestations. Out of all of these techniques, one stands out. If you need to get rid of a whole colony of pavement ants, the most efficient method is to use ant bait.

Seal any cracks, crevices, and probable ant shelters to avoid the re-infection of pavement ants. Now that you know how to get rid of pavement ants, you have no more excuses not to do it.