Which outcome might occur when spraying Pharaoh ant workers with liquid insecticide?

• A. It will completely eradicate the colony
• B. There will be no impact
• C. The colony may fragment, increasing and making control more difficult
• D. It is the recommended universal method

Answer: (C)

Pharaoh ants live in a network of many hidden nests and dozens or more queens. When you spray liquid insecticide on the workers, you often kill those individuals that are out in the open, but the nests themselves can survive. This disruption can cause the colony to fragment into smaller satellite colonies that relocate to new, protected sites. These new nests may be harder to reach with subsequent treatments, and the infestation can spread rather than vanish. So, the likely outcome is fragmentation that makes control more difficult in the long run, rather than complete eradication from a single spray.