Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS Certified Pesticide Applicator (C1825832). Updated September 23, 2026.
Pavement ants and odorous house ants are the small dark ants that stream across Long Island kitchen counters every spring. They're separate species with one thing in common: spraying the trail scatters the colony and makes the problem worse, and bait is what ends it.
| Size | About 1/8 inch (2.5 to 3 mm), both species |
|---|---|
| Color | Pavement ants dark brown; odorous house ants brown to black |
| Look-alikes | Each other; carpenter ants are 2 to 4 times larger |
| Where you'll find it | Pavement ants under slabs, patios, driveways, and foundations; odorous house ants in wall voids near heat and water, under sinks, by tubs and sliding doors |
| Active on Long Island | March through October; indoor invasions peak in spring and after heavy rain |
| Danger level | Nuisance and food contamination, no structural damage |
Both species wake up in March, push indoors in spring, and surge again after summer rain drives them out of the ground.
Crush one. An odorous house ant gives off a rotten, coconut-like smell; a pavement ant doesn't (Utah State). Pavement ants leave small piles of sand or dirt along sidewalk cracks, patio joints, and the edge of the foundation, and send out winged swarmers in spring.
Odorous house ants run in fast, erratic trails and show up near warmth and moisture indoors. If the ant is a quarter inch or bigger and black, it's a carpenter ant and a different problem.
Neither species damages the house, but both contaminate food and are relentless once they've found a kitchen. Odorous house ants have multiple egg-laying queens and spread by budding, where a queen and workers walk off and start a new sub-colony (Utah State), so one colony becomes several inside a wall void.
Pavement ants come up from under the slab in large numbers wherever crumbs hit the floor and enter through foundation cracks and utility lines (Utah State).
Frequently, if you use bait and not spray. Sweet liquid borax baits clear small pavement ant invasions in about five days (Utah State).
Repellent sprays are the problem: they cut the indoor ants off from the colony and cause odorous house ants to split into more nests indoors, so the trail you sprayed turns into three (Utah State). If baits aren't working after two weeks, or the ants are in the walls, the colony is bigger than a bait station can handle.
We identify the species, find the nest sites inside and along the foundation, bait with non-repellent products the ants carry back to the queens, and treat the exterior entry points. Ant treatment carries a 90-day written guarantee.
More on ant extermination on Long Island.
Related answers
Because the colony under your slab or in your foundation wakes up in March and follows warmth and food inside through cracks and the gap behind the sliding door. The same colony comes back every year until it's treated.
Repellent sprays cut the ants indoors off from the colony and trigger odorous house ants to split into new nests inside the walls. Bait does the opposite: the workers carry it back to the queens.
Crush one. Odorous house ants smell like rotten coconut. Pavement ants don't, and they leave little sand piles in pavement cracks and at the foundation.
No. They don't bite, sting, or damage wood. They contaminate food and they don't leave on their own.
Think you have pavement or odorous house ants? Call (516) 509-6001 for a free written quote.