Tetramorium immigrans

rdf:langString Tetramorium immigrans

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rdf:langString Santschi, 1927

rdf:langString Closeup of battling ants in previous image. Workers can be seen in pairs head-to-head with mandibles locked on each other.

rdf:langString Battle between pavement ant colonies on sidewalk, May 2019, Mount Vernon, Washington, US

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rdf:langString Tetramorium

rdf:langString Pavement ants battling on sidewalk closeup.jpg

rdf:langString Pavement ants battling on sidewalk.jpg

rdf:langString Tetramorium immigrans worker

rdf:langString immigrans

rdf:langString Tetramorium immigrans—also known as the immigrant pavement ant, pavement ant, and the sugar ant in parts of North America—is an ant native to Europe, which also occurs as an introduced pest in North America. Its common name comes from the fact that colonies in North America usually make their nests under pavement. This is one of the most commonly seen ants in North America, being well adapted to urban and suburban habitats. It is distinguished by one pair of spines on the back, two nodes on the petiole, and grooves on the head and thorax. During the late spring and early summer colonies attempt to conquer new areas and often attack nearby enemy colonies. This results in huge sidewalk battles, sometimes leaving thousands of ants dead. In summer, the ants dig out the sand between the pavements to vent their nests. Pavement ants were studied on the International Space Station in 2014.