If you have not heard of pharaoh ants, you might want to read on. Any New Jersey pest control professional will tell you that pharaoh ants can be a real problem in homes. While pharaoh ants are a tropical species by nature, they thrive in buildings of all types, making them a real issue for home and business owners alike.

What They Look Like

The pharaoh ant is just two millimeters in length typically, and they are usually a yellow or light brown color. You may also see red or black markings on their abdomens. They have also been called the sugar ant, and you can find them across the United States.

What You May Notice

Pharaoh ants are just like any other creature in that they just need a few things to survive: water, food, and shelter. Buildings with heating systems provide them with this throughout the cooler winter months. You may notice them in your home, but they are also found in food service areas and even in places like hospitals.

They love to eat foods of almost any type, but they tend to gravitate toward sweeter foods or those with a high protein content. They are also willing to eat other insects if necessary. If you happen to have a problem with these little guys in your house, you're going to notice them headed for cakes, pies, cookies, honey, bread, and sugar first. They may also head for fattier foods like butter and bacon if it is available.

It takes just 38 days for these ants to move from egg to adult, and the females can live up to a year. Workers, however, live only for a few months.

A pharaoh ant nest can be almost anywhere. They'll be just as happy living in the insulation of your refrigerator as they will hanging out in another dark, undisturbed space in your home. They love places that are warm, dark, and moist, so you could even find them in your potted plants. Small groups will break off from the main group to form other colonies, so you could have multiple nesting sites within one home.

Are They Dangerous?

Pharaoh ants aren't known for biting people, so they're not necessarily a direct danger to people. The real problem, though, is that they tend to carry bacteria and germs from place to place, which can mean spreading disease as they move.

Contacting New Jersey Pest Control

Because these ants can spread disease and contaminate a number of surfaces, contacting a company that specializes in natural ant control is an absolute must as soon as you discover them. It can be tough to get them out on your own, so go straight to the Ross Environmental Solutions professionals as soon as you notice a problem.

As with many types of ants, though, keeping the area clean and your food supply well sealed can help keep them at bay until you can have more permanent pest extermination measures put in place.