# Pavement Ant (*Tetramorium immigrans*)

Pavement ants are small ants that often live under sidewalks and driveways. They love to feast on crumbs and scraps of food.

- **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Urban areas, under pavement
- **Also known as:** Tetramorium caespitum

![Pavement Ant](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771438792/objects/5455.jpg)

## Appearance

The Pavement Ant is a small, dark brown to black ant, about 2.5-4mm long, with pale legs and antennae. Its body has distinct grooves and two small spines on its back, making it appear ridged and less smooth than many other common ants.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Hymenoptera
- **Family:** Formicidae
- **Genus:** Tetramorium

## Interesting facts

- Pavement ants eat almost anything, from tiny crumbs to dead insects!
- Their queens can live for many years, laying thousands of eggs!
- They can lift objects many times heavier than their own body weight!
- They fight huge battles with other ant colonies right on your sidewalk!

## Special abilities

- **Super Scent Trails:** Pavement Ant can leave invisible chemical trails because of special glands that help them guide friends to food.
- **Jaw Power:** Pavement Ant has strong mandibles that help them chew through tough food and dig tunnels in hard ground.
- **Weatherproof Homes:** Pavement Ant can build elaborate nests under pavement, protecting their colony from harsh weather.
- **Antennae Talk:** Pavement Ant can "talk" using its antennae, tapping them to share important messages with other ants.

## Measurements & details

- **Size:** 2.5-4 mm
- **Lifespan:** 60-90 days
- **Leg Count:** 6
- **Colony Size:** 10000

## Diet & Feeding

These tiny ants eat almost anything, from sweets to other insects!

- **Primary Foods:** sweets, grease, dead insects, seeds, fruit, honey-dew
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — Common bird that preys on ants foraging on the ground.
- **Hunts:** [Argentine Ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/argentine-ant) (*Linepithema humile*) — Competes and preys on other ant species in their territory.
- **Symbiotic with:** Cotton Aphid (*Aphis gossypii*) — Protects these aphids for their sweet honeydew secretion.
- **Eats:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — Scavenges on dead house flies in urban environments.

## Traits

- [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Burrowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/burrowing): Burrowing animals dig tunnels and chambers in the ground, using these subterranean structures for shelter, hunting, or breeding.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)
- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects-and-bugs)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Do not touch or pick up. Some insects sting or bite. Ask an adult for help.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Pavement Ant?

Compare the antennae, waist segments, body proportions and size. Workers, queens and males of the same species can look surprisingly different. Ant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How big is Pavement Ant?

2.5-4 mm

### How long does Pavement Ant live?

60-90 days

### What does Pavement Ant eat?

These tiny ants eat almost anything, from sweets to other insects!

### Where is Pavement Ant usually found?

Urban areas, under pavement

### How does Pavement Ant hunt?

Foraging

### How many legs does Pavement Ant have?

6

### How large are Pavement Ant colonies?

10000

## More Insects

- [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*)
- [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*)
- [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*)
- [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*)

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Source: [Pavement Ant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pavement-ant)