Click image to zoom

Monomorium Pharaonis

The pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) is a small (2 mm) yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals. Pharaoh ants are a tropical species, but they also thrive in buildings almost anywhere, even in temperate regions provided central heating is present. A cryptogenic species, it has now been introduced to virtually every area of the world, including Europe, the Americas, Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is a major pest in the United States, Australia, and Europe. This species is polygynous--each colony contains many queens--leading to unique caste interactions and colony dynamics. This also allows the colony to fragment into bud colonies quickly. The pharaoh ant queen can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime. Most lay 10 to 12 eggs per batch in the early days of egg production and only four to seven eggs per batch later. The majority of pharaoh ant invasions occur during winter rainstorms and summer droughts. These ants are most likely to enter in a row to homes in cold, wet conditions - a typical winter in Delta. A smaller peak in the level of infestation occurs during hot, dry conditions typically in August and September. This photo was taken at Tehatta, West Bengal, India on September 6, 2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)

Photo Details

Related Keywords