Supercolony
Guides
Formica obscuripes
Western Thatching Ant
Formica obscuripes, the western thatching ant, is a North American mound-building ant known for constructing large thatched nests from plant materials. Colonies can contain up to 40,000 workers and demonstrate complex social organization including behavioral constancy in worker task performance. The species employs hybrid foraging strategies combining pheromone-marked columns with visual and path integration navigation. It maintains defensive mutualisms with aphids and exhibits aggressive territorial behavior including the use of formic acid against intruders and competing vegetation.
Linepithema
Linepithema is a genus of small ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, comprising approximately 20 described species. The genus is native to the Neotropics, ranging from northern Mexico through the Caribbean to northern Argentina, with species occurring from sea level to 4,000 meters elevation in the Andes. Two species, L. humile (the Argentine ant) and L. iniquum, have been introduced globally through human activity. L. humile is among the most successful invasive ant species worldwide, forming massive supercolonies in Mediterranean-type climates.
Linepithema humile
Argentine ant
Linepithema humile, the Argentine ant, is a highly invasive species native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. It has become established in Mediterranean climate regions worldwide through human-mediated dispersal. The species forms expansive supercolonies through unicolonial organization, where neighboring colonies cooperate rather than compete. This structure enables rapid population growth and displacement of native ant species. L. humile is considered one of the most ecologically damaging invasive ants globally.
Nylanderia fulva
Tawny Crazy Ant, Rasberry Crazy Ant, Caribbean Crazy Ant, Brown Crazy Ant, Invasive Crazy Ant, Hairy Crazy Ant
Nylanderia fulva, commonly known as the tawny crazy ant, is an invasive ant species native to South America that has become a significant pest in the southern United States. The species is characterized by its erratic, rapid movement patterns and ability to form enormous supercolonies with millions of workers. It was first reported in the continental United States in 1938 but only recognized as a serious pest in the 1990s in Florida and 2000s in Texas. The ant exhibits a unicolonial social structure in its invasive range, with interconnected nests showing no intraspecific aggression.
Pheidole megacephala
big-headed ant, coastal brown ant, African big-headed ant
Pheidole megacephala is a highly successful invasive ant species native to tropical Africa, considered among the world's worst invasive organisms. It exhibits true worker dimorphism with distinct major and minor worker castes, the former bearing disproportionately large heads used for crushing food. The species forms expansive supercolonies through budding reproduction, enabling rapid territorial expansion. It has spread globally to tropical and subtropical regions, where it aggressively displaces native ant faunas and disrupts ecosystem function through generalist predation and mutualistic associations with sap-sucking insects.
Tapinoma sessile
odorous house ant, sugar ant, stink ant, coconut ant
Tapinoma sessile is a small, highly adaptable ant native to North America that has become one of the most common household pests in the United States. The species exhibits remarkable plasticity in social structure: forest colonies are small, monogynous, and inhabit single nests, while urban colonies achieve massive supercolony status through extreme polygyny (multiple queens) and polydomy (multiple interconnected nests). Workers produce a distinctive odor when crushed, historically described as coconut-like but chemically confirmed to match blue cheese due to shared methyl ketones. The species spreads primarily through budding rather than independent colony founding, and shows high tolerance to many common insecticides, contributing to its persistence as a pest.