Path to this page:Home
>> Environment and Transport
>> Noise and Animal Control
>> Pest Control
>> Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh Ants

Appearance

Worker ants are approximately 2mm in length, with the queen being slightly larger at 4mm. Worker ants are red in appearance with a darker abdomen. The worker ants are wingless. The queen ants do have wings, but do not fly. Winged males will appear periodically and mate with the queens.

|Back to top

Where to find them

Nests will occupy any suitable crevice and are often located deep within the foundations, service ducting and wall cavities of buildings. The size of the nest appears to be determined by the amount of space available more than any other factor. Pharaoh ants will feed on almost anything, however prefer sweet and proteinaceous foodstuffs.

Pharaoh ants are tropical in origin, this is reflected in the fact that they require a minimum temperature of 18C to breed, with 30C being the optimum. For this reason the ants will inhabit warm areas such as boiler rooms and around central heating pipework. The large boilers and hot water pipes in tower blocks, hospitals, prisons and factories make them particularly susceptible to Pharaoh ant infestation.

|Back to top

Disease risk and damage

There are no specific diseases associated with Pharaoh ants. However due to their extremely small size they are able to penetrate all but the most secure packaging. This means that they may contaminate foodstuffs intended for human consumption, with pathogens picked up whilst travelling through buildings. Pharaoh ant infestations within hospitals may pose additional risks to human health.

Control methods

Pharaoh ants can be extremely difficult to eradicate, but control can be achieved by the use of juvenile growth hormone analogues. These chemicals mimic the action of juvenile growth hormone (produced naturally be the ants) and prevent the larvae from developing as well as sterilising the queens and winged males.

|Back to top