You can't use page numbers on the default home page because there is no pagination for it. Two options that spring to mind:
1. Change the home page to use questions instead of "recent answers". You can do this using the $QA_CONST_PATH_MAP variable in qa-config.php:
$QA_CONST_PATH_MAP = array('questions' => '');
That will get you pagination on the home page.
2. In an advanced theme, override the suggest_next() function to return without outputting anything, which will remove the bar.