Pharaoh Ant

Natural Habitat

Typically found indoors in climate-controlled buildings, often nesting in wall voids, behind baseboards, or near moisture sources like kitchens and bathrooms.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous; they consume a wide range of foods including sweets, fats, proteins, and other insects.

Behavior Patterns

They are known for 'budding,' where a portion of a colony relocates to start a new nest when disturbed. They are highly invasive and can form massive multi-queen colonies.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: They are significant pests in homes and hospitals because they can mechanically transmit pathogens such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. Benefits: To humans, they have no significant benefits; in nature, they aid in decomposition and pest control of other small arthropods.

Identified on: 3/1/2026