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Meet the Pavement Ant
Wars happen in New York City every spring. Just as the trees
begin to give us their first peek of color and the sun warms us
enough to stretch our legs and venture outdoors for a look
around, the animals begin stretching their legs too.
Each spring, ants peek their antennae out of earthen holes,
getting a feel for their new year on the beat. Pavement ant
(Tetramorium spE, although it is common, scientists have yet to
give this species a real name) workers push out of their nests with
a mission: to establish their neighborhoods before ants from other
nests nudge in and squeeze them out. These ladies are territorial,
and they don’t like any other ants walking on their turf. When they
first emerge in spring, all last year’s boundary lines have been
wiped away with winter and all bets are off. They draw their
property lines with warfare so gruesome it would make Attila the
Hun blush.
Urban Life
Where it lives: Pavement ants most often nest
under bricks or pavement, but they are also
found in grassy areas near sidewalks and even
in extreme environments, like salt marshes.
What it eats: Ultimate opportunists, pavement
ants eat anything from dead insects to
honeydew, a sugary food planthoppers
produce. They also dine on pollen, food in your
kitchen, and garbage.
NYC notes: Here is an ant with a New York
ethos. It is, we suspect, more common
beneath the cement of sidewalks and roads
than anywhere else. Something about the
cement becomes it. Maybe it likes the heat.
Maybe it likes the vibration of the road. Maybe
it likes being close to New York’s exciting
human life.
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