What is the best way to deliver insecticide to an entire pharaoh ant colony?

• A. Spraying the nest
• B. Baiting
• C. Fumigation
• D. Dusting

Answer: (B)

Baiting is the best way because pharaoh ants spread through and maintain several nests, so the only reliable way to reach every member is to have workers carry poison back to the nest and share it. When a toxic bait is taken back, ants feed it to nestmates, including the queen and developing brood, slowly building colony-wide exposure. This social feeding process, combined with the slow-acting toxin, lets the poison move through the entire colony rather than just killing individuals you see on contact.

Spraying the nest or fumigation can kill some ants, but hidden or multiple nests are easy to miss, and those methods don’t guarantee the queen and all satellite nests are reached. Dusting faces the same issue: it’s hard to get the material into every gallery, and the ants may avoid it or groom it off. By placing palatable bait where workers travel and ensuring ongoing access, you create a pathway for the toxin to spread throughout the colony, leading to effective, long-lasting control.