Pavement Ants Hide Out in a Shed in Lavalette, NJ

Challenge

Cowleys received a call from a resident in Lavallette, NJ who was complaining of pavement ants reappearing at the back of her home. She mentioned that she and her husband have repeatedly used home remedies for the ants and they kept coming back. Pavement ants are often mistaken for sugar ants or house ants, but they’re slightly different. They are small ants, about 1/8 of an inch, that are brown, red-brown, or black. Pavement ant colonies consist of workers, reproducers, and a queen. Workers are the most typically-encountered pavement ants. They prefer to nest in areas with minimal vegetation.

Upon my arrival, I was directed to the problem area at the rear of the house. I immediately observed an ant trail leading from the back corner of the house, along the foundation, around the rear steps, and across pavers into a shed. I opened the shed door to see a cluster of ants in the left corner. I then moved some of the contents to find a massive ant colony and an abundance of eggs under a piece of plywood laying flat on the floor.  

Solution

I treated the colony with an aerosol application for instant effectiveness and then treated the exterior of the shed, foundation of the home as well as around windows and under siding with a long-lasting residual for further protection. When ants come in contact with this either of these treatments, they will unknowingly transfer it among the other ants and the queen. In a short amount of time, the entire colony is eliminated.