Pharaoh Ant

Natural Habitat

Widely distributed indoors in temperate regions; typically found in heated buildings near moisture sources like kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous; they feed on a wide variety of foods including fats, proteins, and sugars, often seeking out sweets, grease, and dead insects.

Behavior Patterns

They form large multi-queen colonies and exhibit a behavior called 'budding,' where a group of workers and a queen leave the main nest to start a new one, making them difficult to control with traditional sprays.

Risks & Benefits

Regarded as a major nuisance pest; in hospitals, they can spread pathogens such as Salmonella and Streptococcus as they crawl over surfaces and medical equipment.

Identified on: 2/13/2026