Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Tiny
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Colony
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Venom
Status: Rare

About

The Pharaoh Ant is a tiny 2 mm yellow-amber ant that nests deep inside buildings year-round, thriving in walls and appliances. Unlike most ants, colonies spread by "budding" — a stressed queen simply walks off with workers to start a new nest — making chemical treatments actively counterproductive.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Monomorium
Species: Monomorium pharaonis