If you need pest control for ants, it can be helpful to know which type is in your home. Pharaoh ants are widely known as the most challenging type of ant to remove. Here's how to identify them, as well as some tips for keeping them out of your home.

How Can You Identify Pharaoh Ants?

Pharaoh ants come from Africa originally but can now be found throughout the world. They're often light brown, and the queen has a reddish tint. In the warmest climates, they can have outdoor nests; however, in most places, they live exclusively indoors since they aren't as resistant to the cold as some other species.

What Makes Them Such Stubborn Pests?

A major problem with pharaoh ants is the way their nests multiply through a process called budding. In this process, a queen will take some of the ants from an established colony and start a new nest while the old one remains active. They also survive most of the at-home pest control treatments that kill other types of ants, and when hit with these treatments, they often split into multiple new colonies.

How Can You Avoid Pharaoh Ants?

Make your home as unattractive to ants as you can by eliminating food sources. Clean your kitchen and dining areas thoroughly and often, and don't take food through the rest of the house. Store your food in airtight containers and get garbage cans with lids to keep all food products off-limits. By the time you see pharaoh ants in your home, however, you’ll need a professional to get rid of them.

For pest control in Concord, NC, choose Acme Pest Control. Serving Cabarrus County, they are the area's experts in ant, bedbug, and rodent removal, along with a range of other extermination services. They have over 70 years of experience and are members of the National Pest Control Association. Call (704) 786-4166 to schedule service, or learn more about their approach online.