Pharaoh ant
| Pharaoh ant | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pharaoh ant ( Monomorium pharaonis ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Monomorium pharaonis | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The pharaoh ant ( Monomorium pharaonis ) is one of the smallest species of ants and belongs to the subfamily of knot ants (Myrmicinae). It is originally native to Asia and was introduced into Europe in the 19th century . It lives primarily in buildings with a constantly high temperature and is fought as a disease vector.
features
The workers are 2 mm long, amber yellow and have a dark abdomen tip. There are two noticeable humps on the connecting stalk between the chest and abdomen. The males are slightly larger and black in color. The queen is up to 4.5 millimeters tall and slightly darker than the workers. The pharaoh ant lays the nests of its colonies in well-hidden places in the masonry. The warmest place in the house is preferred. A nest always contains several queens. Undisturbed populations can consist of over 300,000 individual animals. If a colony becomes too large, daughter colonies are created that are initially connected to the mother colony, but can later become independent. The pharaoh ant is omnivorous and prefers sugary and high protein substances, but it also feeds on all kinds of food. Unlike the ants native to Central Europe, the pharaoh ant is active all year round.
Occurrence
The pharaoh ant can only survive in the temperate latitudes in warm places such as heated rooms, it could not survive the winter outdoors. Therefore, she mainly lives in buildings with a consistently high temperature, e.g. B. hospitals, large kitchens, greenhouses, bakeries or the like. She also lives in private households.
distribution
The real home of the pharaoh ant is Asia , from where it was introduced to Europe through traffic and trade in the 19th century. Their original origin is believed to be in East India . Nowadays it is a common cultural follower around the world .
Impact damage
The pharaoh ant can crawl under patient wound dressings in hospitals because it is attracted by blood and pus . Because of its small size and its preference for cracks and crevices, it can also penetrate medical devices such as cannulas , catheters, etc. and thus contaminate them. Since it can also transmit diseases , the pharaoh ant is a serious problem in hospitals and is therefore combated.
The ants can also penetrate computers as they are attracted by the favorable temperatures. There they can cause system crashes and electrical fires.
The fight against the pharaoh ant is difficult because of the hidden location of the nests. Killing the workers with immediate insecticides has little effect, as the losses are quickly replaced by the queens in the nest. Therefore, the pharaoh ants are only fought with food poisons , which are also carried into the nest and fed there to the queen and the brood.
Names
The name of the pharaoh ant is based on the mistaken connection of its appearance with the Egyptian plagues .
literature
- M. Ludwig, H. Gebhardt, HW Ludwig, S. Schmidt-Fischer: New animals & plants in the native nature. Recognize and identify immigrant species. BLV Munich 2000, ISBN 3-405-15776-5
