Pharaoh Ant

Widely distributed worldwide in buildings, particularly heated areas like hospitals, apartments, and hotels; they prefer warm, humid environments near moisture and food sources.

Opportunistic omnivores; they consume a wide variety of foods including fats, proteins (meat, blood), and sweets (sugar, honey, jellies).

They exhibit complex nesting behaviors with multiple queens (polygynous) and form new colonies through 'budding' (disturbing them with spray insecticides often causes them to split and spread). They follow well-defined pheromone trails.

Significant indoor pests, especially in hospitals where they can mechanically transmit pathogens like Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Pseudomonas. They are difficult to eradicate but provide ecosystem services in their native habitat as scavengers and soil aerators.