Pharaon Ants (Monomorium Pharaonis)

Description:

The queen of this species measures almost 4 mm, while the workers are almost 2 mm long and the male measures almost 2.8 mm. Queens have a reddish-brown hue while workers have a yellow-reddish hue.

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Food:

Pharaoh ants are omnivores, eating sweet foods like juice, honey and jam, but can just as well eat protein-rich foods like cheese, meat and some insects.

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Habits:

Pharaoh ants settle in the house when they find a warm and humid place, they are opportunistic, settling in places as unusual as a pot of indoor plants.

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Reproduction:

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Unlike carpenter ants, pharaoh ants mate in the nest. The queen's abdomen contains a spermathecal, a small pocket, which contains the sperm. This small receptacle produces nutrients that keep the seed alive, so the queen can lay nearly 400 eggs during her lifetime without needing to mate again.