________ is the best way to get an insecticide to an entire pharaoh ant colony.

Baiting is considered the most effective method for delivering an insecticide to an entire pharaoh ant colony due to the social structure and feeding behavior of ants. When bait is used, it contains a slow-acting insecticide mixed with a food attractant that the worker ants will carry back to the colony. This process allows the insecticide to be shared among colony members, including the queen, which is crucial for effectively controlling the population.

The slow action of the insecticide in the bait enables many ants to consume it and return to the nest before they succumb to the effects. This means that the bait not only targets the foraging workers but also reaches deeper into the colony where other ants, including those that do not venture out for food, can be affected. This transmission method is essential in eliminating the entire colony rather than just reducing the visible ant population.

In contrast, other methods like spraying might only affect ants that are directly exposed to the insecticide and can lead to survivors that can continue to reproduce. Trapping can help in monitoring populations but does not effectively deliver insecticide to the entire colony. Fumigation is typically used for other pest types and is not practical for pharaoh ants due to their nesting habits. Thus, baiting stands