ABSTRACT
The pharaoh’s ant, Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus), probably originated in North Africa and the Middle East, but has spread via commerce to most cosmopolitan areas of the world (Wheeler 1910). In most regions, the Pharaoh’s ant is a major indoor pest (Edwards 1986). However, it nests outdoors in tropical climates and persists in temperate regions where the temperature is artificially maintained, such as refuse dumps (Kohn and Vlcek 1984). In nontropical climates, infestations usually occur in heated buildings such as large office and apartment complexes, factories, food establishments and hospitals (Edwards 1985). Especially troublesome are the problems they cause in hospitals, where they contaminate equipment and sterile packaging, penetrate I.V. solutions and tubing and feed on dressed wounds (See Eichler, this volume). Worker ants are capable of carrying Salmonella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium and Pseudomonas pathogens (Beatson 1972). Infestation rates in London hospitals reach 30%; and in Prague, Czechoslovakia 86% (Edwards 1985; Rupes et al. 1983, respectively). United States medical facilities in Texas and Florida have also experienced ongoing infestations (Wilson and Booth 1981; Williams, unpublished data).
