How to Get Rid of Pavement Ants

To get rid of pavement ants, find the cracks where they nest, place slow-acting ant bait right on their foraging trails, and leave it alone until the workers have carried enough back to kill the queen. That usually takes one to three weeks. Spraying the ants you can see kills a few hundred foragers out of a colony that often holds thousands, and fast-kill sprays near bait can stop the workers from carrying it home. Once activity stops, seal the cracks and entry points so a new colony does not move in. This guide covers how to identify pavement ants, where to look for nests in slabs and driveways, how to bait properly, and when to call a pro.

Part of our Pest Control guide →

In this guide

1. How to Identify Pavement Ants
2. What Pavement Ants Eat and Why They Come Inside
3. Step 1: Find the Nest
4. Step 2: Bait the Colony
5. Safety: Follow the Label
6. Step 3: Outdoor Perimeter Treatment (Optional)
7. Step 4: Seal Cracks and Entry Points
8. Prevent Pavement Ants From Coming Back
9. Natural and Low-Toxicity Options
10. When to Call a Pest Control Pro
11. Frequently Asked Questions

How to Identify Pavement Ants

According to NC State Extension’s pavement ant fact sheet, workers are about 1/8 to 3/16 inch long and dark brown to nearly black. Under a magnifying glass you can see fine parallel grooves on the head and thorax, which give them a ridged look, and two bead-like segments, called nodes, between the thorax and abdomen. Colonies commonly exceed 10,000 workers, and neighboring colonies are territorial. In spring you may see the classic “ant war” on a sidewalk, where thousands of pavement ants from rival nests swarm and fight in a dark mass.

Several small dark ants look similar. Little black ants are shinier and smaller with a smooth surface; odorous house ants give off a rotten-coconut smell when crushed and have a single flattened node. Carpenter ants are much larger. If the ants are big and you see coarse sawdust, see our guide on getting rid of carpenter ants instead, and for tiny shiny ants, our guide to little black ants.

Feature	Pavement ant	Little black ant	Odorous house ant
Size	1/8 to 3/16 in	About 1/16 in	About 1/8 in
Color	Dark brown to black, dull	Shiny black	Brown to black
Nodes	Two	Two	One, hidden
Surface	Fine grooves on head and thorax	Smooth	Smooth
Telltale sign	Sand piles along pavement cracks	Small crater mounds in lawn	Coconut smell when crushed

What Pavement Ants Eat and Why They Come Inside

Pavement ants eat almost anything. NC State notes they forage for small insects, seeds, pollen and honeydew outdoors, and are drawn to greasy and sweet foods indoors. They also tend aphids and soft scale insects on plants for their honeydew, guarding those pests from predators. Inside, they show up on kitchen floors, along baseboards and near pet bowls, usually entering through cracks in a slab, expansion joints, gaps where pipes come through the floor, or under door thresholds. In winter, colonies under heated slabs can stay active and forage indoors even when it is cold outside.

Step 1: Find the Nest

Pavement ants are named for where they live. Nests sit in soil under concrete and stone, where the slab holds warmth and moisture. Look for these signs:

• Small piles of fine sand or soil along driveway and sidewalk cracks, expansion joints, the edges of patios and the seams between pavers.
• Soil pushed up where a slab meets the house foundation, along garage door edges, or under landscape timbers and stepping stones.
• Ant trails running along the edge of concrete, along the foundation and up into door gaps. Follow a line of ants back to where they disappear into a crack.
• Indoor sand appearing near a crack in a basement or garage floor, or beneath bathroom and kitchen floors built on a slab.

The best time to trace trails is a warm afternoon or evening, when foraging peaks. A dab of bait or a little honey on an index card set near suspected cracks will draw workers in 15 to 30 minutes and show you which way they come and go. A single yard may have several colonies, each with its own territory, so expect more than one nest along a long driveway.

Step 2: Bait the Colony

Baiting works because foraging workers carry the toxicant back and share it with other workers, larvae and the queen. NC State says ant baits readily attract pavement ants, but eliminating a colony this way can take patience. Slow-acting active ingredients are the point: if a bait kills the forager on the spot, it never reaches the nest.

Choosing a Bait

• Match the food preference. Pavement ants take both sweet and protein or grease baits, and their preference can shift through the season. If ants ignore one type, offer the other side by side and use whichever they swarm.
• Gel baits fit neatly into cracks and along slab edges indoors and out.
• Bait stations keep the bait enclosed, which is helpful where children and pets are around, and suit placements along the foundation.
• Granular baits can be scattered along driveway edges, patio perimeters and over nest areas, following label rates; many are made for outdoor use around structures.

Our roundup of the best ant baits compares gel, station and granular options and their active ingredients.

How to Place Bait

1. Clean up competing food. Wipe counters, sweep crumbs, store pet food in sealed bins and fix dripping faucets so the bait is the best meal available. Wipe ants up with soapy water rather than spraying them.
2. Put bait on the trail. Place gel or stations right beside active trails and at the cracks where ants enter or exit, not across the room from them.
3. Use several placements. Long driveways or slabs may need bait at every active crack. More small placements beat one large one.
4. Leave the ants alone. Heavy traffic at the bait for a few days is a good sign. Do not spray, mop or vacuum the trail.
5. Refresh as needed. Replace gel that dries out or stations the ants have emptied until activity stops.
6. Give it time. Expect activity to decline over one to three weeks. Large or multiple colonies may take longer.

Safety: Follow the Label

The label is the law for any pesticide, including ant baits. Read it before you buy, and check that the product lists ants and the site you plan to treat, indoors, outdoors or around structures. Follow the placement and amount it specifies, and keep baits away from food-prep surfaces. Place stations and gel where children and pets cannot reach them, such as inside cracks, behind appliances or under a weighted cover outdoors. Do not apply granular or liquid products where they can wash into storm drains, and sweep granules off pavement back onto soil or mulch as the label directs. NC State’s fact sheet also reminds readers to examine a current product label before applying any chemical, since formulations and registrations change.

Step 3: Outdoor Perimeter Treatment (Optional)

If ants keep coming in from many outdoor colonies, some homeowners add a non-repellent perimeter insecticide labeled for ants around the foundation after the bait has had time to work. Non-repellent products are slow-acting, so ants walk through without detecting them and carry the active ingredient back to the nest. Repellent sprays, on the other hand, can split colonies and push ants into new entry points. If you use any perimeter product, apply it only where the label allows, keep it away from bait placements, and keep people and pets off treated areas until it dries.

Step 4: Seal Cracks and Entry Points

NC State calls locating and blocking entry points the best way to prevent ants from getting inside. Once the colony is gone:

• Fill driveway and sidewalk cracks with concrete crack filler or polyurethane sealant, and seal expansion joints with self-leveling joint sealant.
• Caulk gaps where the slab meets the foundation and around pipes, wires and vents entering the house.
• Install or replace door sweeps and garage door bottom seals.
• Refill paver joints with polymeric sand, which hardens and resists ants digging up joint sand.
• Seal interior slab cracks in garages and basements with an epoxy or polyurethane crack filler.

Sealing too early can trap a colony that simply finds another exit, so wait until bait has knocked activity down.

Prevent Pavement Ants From Coming Back

• Keep mulch, firewood, stones and soil pulled a few inches back from the foundation so ants cannot nest against the house.
• Trim shrubs so branches do not touch siding, which gives ants a bridge inside.
• Control aphids and soft scale on plants near the house, since pavement ants farm them for honeydew.
• Fix leaks and improve drainage around slabs; moist soil under concrete attracts nesting.
• Store garbage and recycling in lidded bins away from doors.

For a wider look at ant control and other common yard pests, see our pest control guide, and for mounds in the grass rather than pavement, read how to get rid of anthills in your lawn.

Natural and Low-Toxicity Options

Boiling water poured into a crack kills the ants it touches but rarely reaches the queen deep under a slab, and it can kill nearby plants. Diatomaceous earth puffed into dry cracks can kill ants that walk through it but loses effect once wet and does not eliminate the colony. Vinegar and soapy water erase scent trails and kill the ants they hit, which is useful for clean-up indoors, but they are not a colony solution. Low-toxicity boric acid baits, used as the label directs, are the most effective option for people who want to avoid stronger insecticides while still reaching the nest.

When to Call a Pest Control Pro

Call a professional if ants keep appearing after two or three rounds of baiting, if they are coming up through a finished slab floor where you cannot reach the cracks, or if you are not sure what species you have. Pros can identify ants accurately, access products and equipment not sold to homeowners, and treat under slabs. Our guide to ant exterminator cost explains what treatment plans typically include, and you can compare local pest pros through our services directory.

Patience is the main ingredient: find the cracks, bait the trails, let the ants do the work, then seal up. Most pavement ant problems clear in a few weeks without ever spraying a can.