The Argentine ant is distributed worldwide. It was probably introduced into the U.S. in New Orleans in the late 1800s on ships transporting coffee from Brazil. It is now established throughout the South, California and Hawaii. It is also found in Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon and Washington. Argentine ants have a systematic approach to foraging. Unlike most ants, which only deposit trails on their way back to the nest from a food source, Argentine ants deposit trails continuously. This ensures they will always cover new ground when they are searching for food, and not waste time revisiting the same place. Once they find food, the ants reinforce the trail in order to recruit more ants to collect the resource. Argentine ants are often seen trailing along the edge of a sidewalk or driveway. Trails consist of thousands of ants traveling to and from nests.
The pavement ant derives its name from its habit of nesting beside and under sidewalks, driveways and foundations. New colonies are established after mating flights that usually take place in the spring, but may occur at other times of the year if the ants are nesting indoors. The ants typically emerge from under baseboards, expansion joints or from floor registers connected to heating ducts. Pavement ants feed on live and dead insects and a variety of plants. As household pests, they are attracted to both greasy and sweet foods.