Pharaoh ants are a different problem entirely from the garden black ants most Londoners are familiar with. They’re tiny (around 2mm), pale yellow-brown, and thrive indoors year-round in heated buildings — commonly found in blocks of flats with shared heating, hospitals, care homes, and commercial kitchens. Because a single colony can split into multiple new colonies when disturbed, pharaoh ants need a specific, carefully managed approach, not standard ant treatment.

Signs of a pharaoh ant infestation

• Tiny, pale yellow-brown ants (noticeably smaller than common garden ants) seen indoors, often in kitchens, bathrooms, or near electrical sockets and heating ducts
• Activity persisting through winter — unlike garden ants, pharaoh ants don’t disappear in cold weather since they nest indoors in heated spaces
• Trails appearing in multiple, sometimes seemingly unconnected areas of a building, especially in flats with shared walls or ducting
• Activity recurring shortly after a standard ant spray treatment (a strong sign it’s pharaoh ants, since spraying often makes this species worse, not better)

Why standard ant spray makes pharaoh ants worse

This is the single most important thing to know about pharaoh ants: spraying disturbs the colony’s chemical trails and can trigger “budding,” where the colony splits into several new, independent colonies that spread to previously unaffected areas. What looks like effective short-term treatment can actually multiply the problem within weeks. Pharaoh ants require patient, targeted baiting, not surface spraying.

Our Pharaoh Ant Control Process

1. Inspection and confirmation — identifying the species (critical, since treatment differs completely from garden ants) and mapping activity across the property or building.
2. Non-repellent gel baiting — placed precisely along known trails, allowing workers to carry bait back to multiple colony sites without triggering budding.
3. Coordinated treatment across shared buildings — for flats and multi-unit buildings, treatment often needs to be coordinated with neighbouring units or building management, since pharaoh ants move freely through shared wall cavities and ducting.
4. Extended monitoring — pharaoh ant programmes typically run over several weeks with multiple visits, since full colony elimination takes longer than with garden ants.

What does pharaoh ant control cost in London?

Pharaoh ant treatment costs more than standard garden ant control due to the extended, multi-visit baiting programme required — typically starting from around £250–£400 depending on the size of the property and whether treatment needs to be coordinated across multiple units in a shared building. We’ll assess and confirm pricing after a full inspection.

Common in These London Areas

Pharaoh ants are most commonly reported in flats with shared heating across Central London and North East London, and in commercial kitchens citywide. Check your area page for local detail, or contact us directly.