Latin name: Tapinoma erraticum

Taxonomy: Subfamily: Dolichoderinae Tribes: Dolichoderini

Breeding level: Beginner

Geographical distribution: Central and Southern Europe, Central Asia

Habitat: Dry xerothermic prairies and ruderal zones

Colony shape: Polygyne

Queen: Size: 4.5 - 5mm Color: Shiny Black

Female workers: Size: 2 - 4mm Color: Shiny black

Major: No

Male: Size 4 - 4.5mm Color: Shiny Black

Food: Honeydew, but also a lot of small insects like mealworms, fly, mosquito, crickets etc ...

Humidity: Hunting area: 30 - 50% Nest: 50 - 60%

Temperature: Hunting area: 18 - 28 ° C Nest: 21 - 24 ° C

Hibernation: Yes, from mid-November to early March between 8 and 12 ° C

Nest type: Plexiglas nest, nest with tubes, reconstituted stone nest.

Description: Very aggressive and dominant ant species that can assimilate many food sources, unlike other ant species because of its toxicity. In case of danger, they run their gastre upwards, in the same way as Crematogaster.
They recruit very quickly and efficiently new sources of food.

Development: Swarming from May to June.

Foundation: Set in a cloister (without food) Development: 30 days from egg to worker (depending on temperature)

Size of the colony: Up to 10,000 individuals, the queen can reach the age of 20 years.