tampinoma sessile - the odorous house ant

Tampinoma sessile is a widely diverse species spanning across from Canada to Northern Mexico. They are very good  at adapting to new continents.  They have a polygynous colonies, which means that the workers accept more than one Queen.  This helps the colony to grow faster.  Also, if they get attacked by another colony, the Queen's inside the nest can hunker down.

Tampinoma sessile nest.

Tampinoma sessile queen.

What do they eat?  The tampinoma sessile ants farm aphids.  In aphid colonies, they also eat pastries like bread.  They will also eat bugs and other insects.

tampinoma sessile farming ahpids.

Where do they nest? They nest in raw wood hollow branches on the ground and under smooth rocks. They need sunlight so that they can heat their eggs up to get them to the pupae stage faster.  

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How do they do in captivity? They are a great species of ant to keep in captivity. Give them all they need, and they will be thriving in the thousands in their 3rd year of captivity.

tampino sessile captive colony in test tube setup.

tampinoma sessile nesting spot.

These are my tampinoma sessile in their nest.