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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Odorous Ants (Dolichoderinae) » Tapinoma
Photo#49638
Odorous Ants - Tapinoma - female
Copyright © 2006 tom murray

Odorous Ants - Tapinoma - Female
Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
April 26, 2006
Size: 2.8 to 4.5mm
There were at least 6 queens in this colony. Is that common?
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Contributed by tom murray on 26 April, 2006 - 11:48pm
Last updated 25 February, 2009 - 7:25am

That is common
and is even the rule in this genus and most other odorous ants (e.g. Linepithema humile). The technical term is polygynous species, as opposed to monogynous ones - like most Lasius. Tapinoma is said to be higly polygynous.
Indeed, some queens can sometimes be seen walking outside among workers, on crowded trails between two nests.
… Richard Vernier, 27 April, 2006 - 3:10am login or register to post comments

 
That's interesting
I never knew there were such differences in colonies between different ant genus.
… tom murray, 27 April, 2006 - 7:08am login or register to post comments

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