The use of invertebrate carrion by ants in an urban ecosystem was studied in southwestern Ohio during the summer of 2006. The carrion source was periodical cicadas Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus), which had been collected during the mass emergence in 2004 and kept frozen until needed for this study. Each experimental replicate consisted of four 50 x 50 centimeter grids of varying cicada densities within the dripline of a randomly selected tree. Eleven species of ants were observed in the grids during the course of this experiment. The most prominent species were Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) and Tapinoma sessile (Say). Time of discovery was found to be independent of carrion density. Ant abundance within the grids increased as carrion density increased. Ant abundance on carrion also increased as carrion density increased. The relatively low mean time of discovery and a significant increase in ant abundance that correlates with increasing carrion density shows that ants are using the invertebrate carrion. The removal of cicada carcasses within 24 hours suggests that colony workers were recruited, which expedited the removal of invertebrate carrion in the urban ecosystem.