Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Tiny
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning Colors
Status: Uncommon

About

The odorous house ant earns its name by releasing a distinctive smell of rotten coconut when crushed — a chemical distress signal that also rallies nestmates to the threat. One of North America's most common household invaders, colonies can contain hundreds of queens and hundreds of thousands of workers.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Tapinoma
Species: Tapinoma sessile