Colonies of pharaoh ants are larger in size, with multiple queens and nests making these especially difficult to treat. An application of residual insecticides, for example, often triggers the splintering of a colony into numerous satellite colonies. In bad cases, infestations can spread over an entire building.
Opportunistic ants, they will occupy any crack or crevice with sufficient warmth and high humidity. In houses, they are frequently found in kitchens and bathrooms near a source of water. Nests are often located in inaccessible spots such as interior wall voids, under floors, behind baseboards or window sills. Kitchens, laundries, boiler rooms, around toilets, sinks, heading ducts, and pipes are all fine locations in commercial buildings for the pharaoh to habituate. They are potentially dangerous in hospitals because of their ability to transmit disease organisms.
Pharaohs forage both day and night, feeding on fats, proteins and carbs.