The smallest colonies consist of a few dozen ants, while larger colonies can consist of hundreds of. A pharaoh ant colony ranges in size from small to extremely large. They are yellowish-brown in color and have black and red coloring on their abdomens. Pharaoh ants do not sting but they can bite. Pharaoh ants are some of the smallest ants, only measuring around 2 millimeters in length. Twenty types of bacteria of medical importance have been isolated from pharaoh ants.

IPM approach to control necessary to successfully reduce the potential budding behavior and expansion of colonies.

Keep yards well maintained to minimize harborage points and food sources.

Repair any leaky pipes and minimize any potential water collection.

The petiole (narrow waist between the thorax and abdomen) has two nodes and the thorax has no spines. They are light yellow to reddish brown in colour with a darker abdomen (hind portion of body). These large colonies can reach worker populations over 300,000. Pharaoh ant workers are about one-sixteenth of an inch long, or 2mm in length. Experts believe these ants are native to.

Many times satellite colonies are connected allowing for brood, workers and food to be shared between these nests. The nonstinging house ant, Monomorium pharaonis (pharaoh ant), was recently identified as a cause of respiratory allergy. The pharaoh ant received its name when it was mistaken as one of the plagues of Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs.

Unlike other ants the queen and males do not have nuptial flights instead, to start new colonies they will move away from the existing colony in a process called budding. Queens will live for at least one year while males will die 3-5 weeks after mating. They live in large colonies with multiple queens. The larva feed from around 18 days then pupate an average of 12 days. The eggs develop in 7-8 days before a larva emerges. Queens lay 10-12 eggs at a time totaling 400. The pharaoh ant develops from egg to adult in a 38 day period.