How to Kill Patio and Pavement Ants

Patio ants or pavement ants are a small species of ant that nests next to or under patios and other concrete surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways. Patio ants are about one-eighth of an inch in size, but quickly become a nuisance when they travel into your home in search of food.

These tiny ants can also do tremendous damage to your patio, ruining the structural integrity of your deck when they bore down and nest under the concrete, eventually making the concrete sink in spots and crack. With the right instructions, you can effectively eradicate a colony of these ants and protect your home, utility room and patio from damage.

How do you deal with pavement ants?

Here are some ways to get rid of pavement ants:

• Check your walls, doors, windows and other entry points to your home for places where pavement ants can come in, such as holes in the mortar or gaps around pipes. Repair any problem areas immediately. As a general rule, make sure that pipes go through walls and not just outside them so that pests can’t get in through them.

• Seal cracks in your flooring so it’s harder for ants to find their way into your home or building. Pavement ants can squeeze themselves into the tiniest of cracks, so make sure that none of those gets through.

• Try sprinkling borax on affected areas. Borax is an inexpensive and effective substance against ants and other insects, so be sure to apply it around doors, windows and other entry points that you’ve found harboring pavement ants.

• Apply cracked pepper directly onto the ground near where you see pavement ants. The pepper will not only repel the insects but also keep them from getting anywhere near your home or building.

• Kill the pavement ants by applying diatomaceous earth to their nests. This is a fine powder that easily gets into the cracks of pavement ant colonies. When they get into the colony, they destroy the insect’s exoskeleton, making it harder for them to breathe and eventually killing them.