Pharaoh ants are one of the most difficult ant pest species to control, proving to be a frustrating insect pest for both homeowners and pest control alike. They are found mostly in the south, and there are a number of factors that contribute to their success as indoor insect pests and make them very difficult to detect and track down. These pests can hide almost anywhere in your home, and finding them is easily the longest and most difficult part of a pest control professional’s job when dealing with infestations of Pharaoh ants.
While other pest species tend to have structured nests, Pharaoh ants do not. They can hide in almost any area of a structure as long as it is dark, protected, and moist. This means new nests can easily form in other areas of a house that also meet this criteria, and often do, as Pharaoh ants have a tendency to bud or branch off and create a new nest once one site becomes too crowded. This means colonies can be massive, comprised of hundreds of thousands of Pharaoh ants and multiple queens that allow the ants to bud or branch out and create new nests with ease. As long as there are a few workers, brood, and a moist, dark nesting site, a new colony of Pharaoh ants can be formed. Because of this, inspecting your home for Pharaoh ants can take time, as you may have to literally look everywhere to find them.
If you already have an infestation of Pharaoh ants to deal with, the best places to start looking for them are areas in your home where there is food, water, and moisture present. Some good places to check are bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. You will want to inspect all food cabinets, faucets, shower heads, behind microwave ovens, inside drain pipes, underneath stoves, and other similar areas. If you suspect Pharaoh ants of foraging in a specific area, you might want to place a non-toxic substance such as jelly or peanut butter out there to see if it draws out the ants, and if they are, indeed, Pharaoh ants. You can then replace these non-toxic baits with baits containing active ingredients that will start to control the population of Pharaoh ants infesting your home. While these pests are generally seen only indoors, you can also find them trailing on the outside of homes around exterior walls, potted plants, windows, wall edges, and gutters. In order to successfully eradicate this difficult insect pest, you have to make sure to cover all your bases, inside your home and out.
Have you ever had to deal with an infestation of Pharaoh ants?
