DESCRIPTION
Family :Formicidae
Scientific Name : Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus )
English Name : Pharaoh ant (sugar ant)
Size : 1,5 to 2,5 mm
Color :Red brown
The name of this ant was given by the naturalist Linnaeus. It would have mistakenly believed that the species was one of the ten plagues of Egypt , at the time of the pharaohs. The only insects mentioned in this list are lice, fleas and locusts .
Pharaoh ants can be distinguished from other ants house by its very small size . The thief ant may however be slightly smaller . Pharaoh ants differs from the latter by its darker color ( the thief ant is yellow ) and its antennas : they are 12 items (segments ) and have a party club with three items, while those of the thief ant with 10 items and end with a club in two articles.
This tiny ant has a color ranging from pale brown to yellow to red . His abdomen , also called gaster , is generally darker than the rest of the body .
The colonies of this species have only one form of sterile workers who are between 1.5 and 2.5 mm long. The queens are the largest ants in the colony, with a length between 3.5 and 5 mm. Red -brown color , they have a darker color than the workers . Their abdomen ends with a body laying ovipositor called . There are many queens in a single colony and we may see them as they move with workers.
Males are about 2.8 mm. They are smaller than queens, but larger than the workers.
Queens and male adults wear wings emergence.
Antennas, bent and highly mobile , are composed of 12 items and end with a club composed of three articles.
Petiole , the game gives them fine size ants , is composed of two segments. There are two small bumps unlike the carpenter ant has only one hump.
The pharaoh ant is an insect with complete metamorphosis . She lives in large colonies containing multiple queens (colonies are called " polygynous ") and many workers (some colonies have 300,000 people or more). Queens and males mate in the nest. Unlike what happens in many species of ants, there is no nuptial flight as breeding adults are incapable of sustained flight . So there is very little cross-fertilization between colonies. Males die within a few days after mating.
The abdomen contains a queen spermatheca made to keep the sperm alive, allowing a queen to lay hundreds of eggs without further contact with a male. Each queen produces about 400 eggs during her life. A fertilized egg gives rise to a female ( worker or queen) , an unfertilized egg to a male . The egg becomes larva turns into a pupa and then adult in 38 days .
Queens live about 200 days , the workers about 70 days .
The formation of new nests occurs by "budding" of the colony. A group of workers moving part to another brood nest site . Queens often accompany these groups leaving the mother colony. Accidental transport of these nests can be a source of infestation.
Young satellite colonies are often in contact with the mother colony when they are in the same building. There is then shared workers , brood and food . With this ability to divide perpetually , an ant colony pharaohs left to itself is virtually " immortal ."
In our regions with hard winters, this species is established only in heated buildings . It is inevitably associated with human presence. It is found in homes, multi-residential buildings , offices, bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants , hospitals, pet stores, zoos, etc. .
- The pharaoh ant is an omnivorous insect. They eat sweet foods , such as biscuits, syrups, juices, jellies, cakes, as well as fatty or protein rich foods (cheese , meat, carrion ) .
- It also hunts small insects and eat their eggs.
- This ant can simply toothpaste, hair dandruff and dead insects .
- The larvae are fed by the workers with regurgitated liquid or partially chewed food.
- Larvae destined to become queens receive more food than others.
This ant is an insect predator. It addresses , among other bedbugs, fleas, maggots and beetles , and adult beetles . She also eats insect eggs. At home, she eats everything is as cereals , sugar, farine.etc . The pharaoh ant could spread bacteria in hospitals where she moved .
Pharaoh ants often travel in single file following the chemical traces left by other workers. The journey can reach tens of meters. However, they frequently move inside walls, along pipes and electrical wiring . It is therefore common to see out electrical wall plates and edges of pipes. Chemical trails of ants are often found along the counters in the kitchen and the bathroom , around sinks and bath in the cabinet Pharmacy in and around the dishwasher, in cupboards , wardrobes , room heating, etc.
The main reasons that lead to the formation of new satellite nest are :
- Overcrowding .
- Stress caused by the temperature change .
- Lack of water for food.
- The use of insecticides on chemical trails ants also supports splitting the colony.
Infestations of Pharaoh ants are often accidentally introduced into homes, often in boxes or furniture transported from one place infested during a move .
The migration of a satellite colony of an apartment to another is very common . Its very small size, ease of reproduction in the colony and the sensitivity of ants, all its features makes this highly invasive ant species and very difficult to control.
Ant nests often settle in sheltered places , hot and humid, like the kitchen and bathroom. They are also found between walls, under floors , in waste, in an old appliance , in furniture, etc.
Prevention is the first line of defense , inspecting objects and ensuring that the units in the building are well maintained.
Above all, do not use pesticides or any chemical agent which may cause the multiplication of colonies , if the situation is out of control you can rely on an experienced exterminator have better advice .
Sources: Hölldobler , B. and E.O. Wilson . 1996. Travel in ants , a scientific exploration. Edition du Seuil, 247 p.
- Insectariums the city of Montreal .
Engineering extermination favors the use of environmentally friendly methods and biological products with low impact
