When you see an ant walking or crawling around you while walking onto the porch or sidewalk, you feel absolutely nothing. During our fast-paced lives, we often overlook little things. Ants fall into the category of being little. We must not avoid them as they are helpful for the environment in many different ways. Ants help to clean the forest floor clean from dead insects, animals, cleaning organic waste. Though they help natural habitats, they will become a threat to civilized people if not keep a check.
Invasive ants will kill other ants and create havoc inside your house if given a chance.
Let’s peep inside the most common ant species found inside your home that is Pharaoh ants:
How do Pharaoh Ants look?
Many ants have similar traits and appear the same as others. Pharaoh ants are often confused with Argentine Ants or sugary ants. One common difference between both of these ants is that Argentine Ants prefer to stay indoors and outdoors. Pharaoh ants prefer to stay indoors.
- They have a yellow or orange color with a dark abdomen.
- No spine.
- Well-developed eyes.
- 1/16th inch long.
The female Pharaoh ants can lay around 400 to 500 eggs throughout their life. Unlike other ant species, these ants can breed continuously as long as they live in a heated environment. Their colonies include male workers, female workers, and various Queen Ants.
Where Pharaoh Ants hide?
Pharaoh Ants like to nest in humid places. Bathrooms and Kitchens are their most favorite places to hide. These places supply them with an abundance of water and food sources.
Apart from these places, look into the following areas for these ant species:
- Walls, ceilings, and attics.
- Look behind the baseboards, switches, and windowsills.
- Look under the door frames.
- Water pipes and sinks
- Sheets of paper and linen.
What Pharaoh Ants eat?
These species of ants are omnivores. Their diet is a mix of plants and animals.
They prefer honey syrups, jellies, soft drinks, and bacon. Pharaoh ants can make their meal out of everything.
How to get rid of Pharaoh Ants?
Let us understand some effective methods to remove these species of ants away from your house.
- Baits made from sugar and baking soda are one of the natural ways to remove these ants. The sugar acts as an attractive agent, but the baking soda will aggressively affect their digestive systems.
- Spray boric acid over these ants, which is readily available in the market. In low doses, boric acids are not toxic to you and your pets.
- Vinegar mixed with water is used as an insect repellant to remove the Pharaoh Ants from your house.
- Cinnamon spread over the entrance areas can deter these species from coming to your home.
- Wipe up the sticky surface with disinfectant to avoid attracting ants.
- Take out the trash bins daily and regularly so that these ants do not survive over leftover foods.
Wrapping up:
Pharaoh ants are social pests that stay around your house. You can follow the above steps to remove these ant species from your home. However, if you are facing extreme ant infestations, you can consult a pest control expert. They will give some suggestions on removing Pharaoh Ants permanently.