Harvester ants clear the vegetation from the area around the nest and produce conspicuous mounds. They eat seeds and rarely enter homes. One unusual situation where harvester ants sometimes do enter buildings is when winged stages are swarming. Mating flights concentrate around prominent points in the landscape. As a result, large numbers of winged ants may be found on top of large buildings or around chimneys and similar points.
Harvester ants have a blunt stinger but can produce a painful sting.
Usually they can't penetrate thick areas of skin, such as a hand. Children generally are more likely to feel harvester ant stings than adults. They are a recent arrival to the state but are currently the most common ant found in homes. Pavement ants forage on a variety of food that includes grease, meat, small seeds and sweets. Unlike most other ants, pharaoh ants adapt well to nesting indoors.