American Winter Ant
Prenolepis imparis
Insecta
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- 1-3 yrs
- Size
- Small
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Social
- Colony
- Biome
- Temperate forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Walking
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Burrowing
- Status
- Common
About
The American winter ant is a small honey-colored forager unique among ants for being active in cold weather, foraging at temperatures near freezing when most other ant species are dormant underground. Workers gorge on liquid food and swell their abdomens like tiny honeypots, storing reserves that let the colony ride out the coldest months.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
- 2.juvenileAn immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
- 3.subadultA near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
- 4.adultFully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Formicidae
- Genus
- Prenolepis
- Species
- Prenolepis imparis