You may call them "sugar ants," but that's a colloquialism for a number of types of small ants that get into your kitchen.

The ant Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus) is commonly known as the Pharaoh ant. This species is believed to be native to Africa, but it can currently be found throughout the United States.

"Some species, such as the tropical import known as the pharaoh ant, must nest close to a reliable water source," Cody notes. "Other ants, like the carpenter ant, are attracted to damp wood ...