Pharaoh ant new nest is formed, queens are not a necessity; workers can raise new queens after finding a suitable nest site. In pharaoh ant colonies new males and queen ants can be produced when the existing fertile queen is removed. When queens are absent, the workers in the nest can do two things: either rear existing sexual larvae or transport sexual larvae from other bud nests or from the main nest to its own nest. However, when there are fertile queens still within the nest, the worker ants will cannibalize the sexual larvae and will either reject or consume sexual larvae
Pharaoh ant Thus, nest units may exchange individuals after budding occurs, further explaining their cooperative behavior. In Australia, "Monomorium" species is particularly successful. This fact is particularly curious because of the presence of a very aggressive ant family, "Iridomyrmex", which is quite proficient at interference competition. "Iridomyrmex" ants are able to quickly seek out food sources and prevent other ant species from reaching them. However, unlike other ant species, "Monomorium" species, despite their unaggressive nature and small size, are able to thrive even in areas where "Iridomyrmex" dominates. This success can be attributed to their efficient foraging strategy, and their novel use