Ant Wars

I found the above mound in my yard.  This belongs to pavement ants, who typically make their nests in cracks in driveways and sidewalks.  This mound was just over from my driveway.  Pavement ants are small (about 1/8 in) and brown to black in color.  They have 2 spines and parallel lines on the head and thorax.

Pavement Ant-photo courtesy of markleyspest.com

Pavement ants eat most anything, including insects, seeds, and honeydew.  They can be found in homes looking for food.  They will typically be seen foraging at the bottom of baseboards. 

The below picture shows a common location for pavement ants.  You've likely seen one of these mounds before:

photo courtesy of creaturecontrol.net

Pavement ants are very aggressive to members of their own species.  In the spring, you might see neighboring colonies engaging in territorial "wars."  Your driveway becomes a battlefield as opposing colonies try to push each other back to take more territory.

Territorial War; photo courtesy of antsbeesbutterfliesnature.blogspot.com