Pharaoh Ant

Learn About the Pharaoh Ant

Description: 1/16" inch, yellow, reddish brown, workers all same size.

• Thought to have come to North America from Africa, Pharaoh ants can be an acute problem in hotels and inns as well as apartments and homes.
• These ants generally come into a structure via items shipped or brought in from an infested location.
• In the Pacific Northwest, the climate is too cool in the winter for them to survive out of doors. Inside, they can nest in wall voids, behind baseboards, under furniture, or under stored items in cabinets or closets.
• Food sources range from sweets to protein-based foods. Pharaoh ants can only be effectively controlled through a comprehensive baiting program.
• Treatment with liquid insecticides actually makes the infestation worse by causing the ants to "bud" or "split" into several smaller satellite colonies.
• There are many excellent baits on the market for pharaoh ant control. The more successful baits contain pulverized silk worm cocoons as an attractant. They also contain a slow acting poison that gives the worker ants time to get back to the colony and feed them. The silk worm cocoon seems to be one of the only attractants for pharaoh that works. Again, it must be emphasized that spraying makes pharaoh ants worse.