Pharaoh Ant

Pharaoh ants are yellow, light brown, to reddish, and measure 1.5-2 mm (1/16 – 1/12 inch) long. Workers are all one size (monomorphic). Their small size makes them difficult to see with a visual inspection.

Pharaoh ants are found in commercial food handling establishments such as hotels, grocery stores, and hospitals. Inside, they nest in warm, humid areas near food and water sources. Nests are usually located in inaccessible areas such as wall voids, behind baseboards, in furniture, and under floors. These ants often use electrical and telephone wires as a highway system to travel through walls and between floorboards.

Outside, Pharaoh ants are typically found in shaded areas or under debris. They cannot survive outdoors year-round in the northern regions of the country.

Pharaoh ants can grow from egg to adult within 38 days. Their colonies have multiple queens, and when disturbed, they can easily migrate to start a new colony with one of the queens. Queen pharaoh ants live up to a year while male pharaoh ants live up to a few weeks after mating.

Colonies of Pharaoh ants number in the thousands to several hundred-thousand. If disturbed, members of the colony will migrate to new locations to establish several new colonies through a process called budding.

1. Pharaoh ants have been implicated in the spread of more than a dozen disease pathogens including salmonella and Streptococcus pyogenes.
2. They are notorious for being a major nuisance in hospitals where they can enter wounds, enter IV bottles, and can sometimes even seek moisture from the mouths of sleeping infants and patients.