[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":365},["ShallowReactive",2],{"species-sheet-\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans":3},{"species":4,"profile":239,"countryNames":277,"lookalikes":282,"similar":287,"comparisons":340,"posts":343},{"id":5,"authority":6,"colonyStructure":7,"confidence":8,"countries":11,"defense":16,"diet":19,"difficulty":23,"dryHumidity":24,"escapeRisk":25,"estimated":26,"experience":33,"extension":34,"finder":35,"founding":36,"growth":37,"guide":24,"hibernation":38,"hibernationMonths":39,"hibernationTemperature":42,"humidity":45,"image":48,"imageCredit":49,"imageHeight":53,"imageWidth":54,"interests":24,"keptSince":24,"legal":55,"lookalikes":58,"majorSize":24,"maxWorkers":62,"meta":63,"nests":64,"nuptialFlightMonths":68,"nuptialFlightTime":70,"nuptialFlightTriggers":71,"polymorphism":73,"queenSize":74,"regions":76,"relatedPosts":79,"reviewedAt":57,"scientificName":83,"sources":84,"stem":223,"subfamily":224,"temperature":225,"tribe":228,"workerSize":229,"__hash__":232,"slug":233,"genus":234,"nickname":235,"aliases":236,"tagline":238},"species\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans.yml","Santschi, 1927","monogyne",{"biology":9,"husbandry":9,"nuptialFlight":10},"medium","low",[12,13,14,15],"TR","AM","AZ","RU",[17,18],"bite","sting",[20,21,22],"insects","sugar","seeds",3,null,"high",[27,28,29,30,31,32],"temperature","humidity","hibernationTemperature","nuptialFlightMonths","queenSize","maxWorkers","compiled","yml",false,"claustral","fast","recommended",[40,41],11,2,[43,44],5,10,[46,47],40,60,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans.jpg",{"author":50,"license":51,"url":52},"Jake Nitta (froggy143)","CC BY 4.0","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inaturalist.org\u002Fobservations\u002F121004755",800,1200,{"status":56,"checked":57},"free","2026-10-26",[59,60,61],"Tetramorium caespitum","Tetramorium impurum","Tetramorium tsushimae",10000,{},[65,66,67],"testTube","acrylic","ytong",[43,69],7,"morning",[72,28],"calm","monomorphic",[69,75],8,[77,78],"europe","middleEast",[80,81,82],"how-to-care-for-tetramorium-caespitum","how-to-make-a-tubs-and-tubes-setup","how-to-hibernate-your-ants","Tetramorium immigrans",[85,94,99,103,107,111,115,119,124,128,132,136,140,144,148,152,156,160,165,169,174,178,182,186,190,194,198,202,207,211,215,219],{"type":86,"title":87,"url":88,"covers":89},"paper","Wagner, Arthofer, Seifert, Muster, Steiner and Schlick-Steiner (2017), Myrmecological News 25: Light at the end of the tunnel, integrative taxonomy delimits cryptic species in the Tetramorium caespitum complex (T. immigrans raised to species, largest and most densely sculptured workers of the complex, keys to workers at 100x magnification and to male genitalia, Anatolia and the Caucasus as the likely origin, adult sexuals in nests from March to September with a mean in late June)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.25849\u002Fmyrmecol.news_025:095",[90,91,92,93],"taxonomy","biology","distribution","nuptialFlight",{"type":86,"title":95,"url":96,"covers":97},"Moss, Swallow and Greene (2022), Myrmecological News 32: Always under foot, Tetramorium immigrans, a review (monogyne and claustral, flights from late May to July starting near sunrise on still days, seeds stored in late summer and autumn, ritual battles between colonies, spread through Europe and North America, keeper advice on moisture gradients)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.25849\u002Fmyrmecol.news_032:075",[90,91,92,93,98],"husbandry",{"type":86,"title":100,"url":101,"covers":102},"Wagner, Cordonnier, Kaufmann, Kiran, Karaman, Schultz, Seifert and Csősz (2025), ZooKeys 1234: Delineation of species of the Tetramorium caespitum complex in Anatolia (T. immigrans confirmed in Anatolia, workers separated from T. caespitum by morphometrics, called a neozoon in western and central Europe)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3897\u002Fzookeys.1234.142963",[90,92],{"type":86,"title":104,"url":105,"covers":106},"Zhang, Vitone, Storer, Payton, Dunn, Hulcr, McDaniel and Lucky (2019), Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7: From pavement to population genomics, characterizing a long-established non-native ant in North America (native range in Anatolia and the Caucasus, very low genetic diversity, founded by one or a few related colonies about 200 years ago, 39 US states and 3 Canadian provinces)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3389\u002Ffevo.2019.00453",[92,91],{"type":86,"title":108,"url":109,"covers":110},"Cordonnier, Escarguel, Dumet and Kaufmann (2020), Heredity 124: Multiple mating in the context of interspecific hybridization between two Tetramorium ant species (monogyne colonies, T. immigrans queens mated with fewer males than T. caespitum, hybrid colonies in southeastern France)","https:\u002F\u002Fpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Farticles\u002FPMC7170902\u002F",[91,90],{"type":86,"title":112,"url":113,"covers":114},"Castracani, Spotti, Schifani, Giannetti, Ghizzoni, Grasso and Mori (2020), Insects 11: Public engagement provides first insights on Po Plain ant communities and reveals the ubiquity of the cryptic species Tetramorium immigrans (probably introduced to Italy, a cryptic alien identified by morphometrics)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3390\u002Finsects11100678",[92,90],{"type":86,"title":116,"url":117,"covers":118},"Sheard, Sanders, Gundlach, Schär and Larsen (2020), PeerJ 8: Monitoring the influx of new species through citizen science, the first introduced ant in Denmark (T. immigrans in the Copenhagen Botanical Garden, identified by DNA, larger size and denser sculpture)","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.7717\u002Fpeerj.8850",[92,90],{"type":120,"title":121,"url":122,"covers":123},"reference","Maxcer, Williams and Lucky, UF\u002FIFAS EDIS EENY-600: Immigrant pavement ant, Tetramorium immigrans (identification against T. tsushimae, colonies of over 10,000 workers, development time, battles in spring and early summer)","https:\u002F\u002Fask.ifas.ufl.edu\u002Fpublication\u002FIN1047",[90,91,92],{"type":120,"title":125,"url":126,"covers":127},"Vail (2023), University of Tennessee Insec(tc)ure newsletter 4(1): Tetramorium tsushimae, the Japanese pavement ant (slightly smaller than T. immigrans with longer propodeal spines, polygyne, US range)","https:\u002F\u002Fepp.tennessee.edu\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002Fsites\u002F267\u002F2023\u002F11\u002F2023-01TsushimaeV4I1.pdf",[90,92],{"type":120,"title":129,"url":130,"covers":131},"MacGown and Whitehouse, Mississippi Entomological Museum: Tetramorium immigrans (worker measurements and characters, comparison with T. tsushimae, diet and nest sites)","https:\u002F\u002Fmem.org.msstate.edu\u002FResearchtaxapages\u002FFormicidaepages\u002Fgenericpages\u002FTetramorium_immigrans.htm",[90,91],{"type":120,"title":133,"url":134,"covers":135},"Wikipedia: Tetramorium immigrans (common names, worker size, colony size, battles, North American range)","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTetramorium_immigrans",[90,91,92],{"type":120,"title":137,"url":138,"covers":139},"AntCat: Tetramorium immigrans Santschi, 1927, valid species, described as T. caespitum var. immigrans from Valparaíso, Chile","https:\u002F\u002Fantcat.org\u002Fcatalog\u002F450394",[90],{"type":120,"title":141,"url":142,"covers":143},"Catalogue of Life: Tetramorium immigrans Santschi, 1927 (Myrmicinae, Crematogastrini)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.catalogueoflife.org\u002Fdata\u002Ftaxon\u002FCMVFW",[90],{"type":120,"title":145,"url":146,"covers":147},"GBIF: Tetramorium immigrans Santschi, 1927, occurrence records by country","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gbif.org\u002Fspecies\u002F10114596",[90,92],{"type":120,"title":149,"url":150,"covers":151},"AntWiki: Tetramorium immigrans (countries by region)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antwiki.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTetramorium_immigrans",[92],{"type":120,"title":153,"url":154,"covers":155},"AntFlights: nuptial flight of Tetramorium immigrans, Maryland, 28 June 2020 at 06:10 (calm, sunny, 21 degrees C, 90% humidity, verified on the site)","https:\u002F\u002Fantflights.com\u002Ff\u002F593\u002Fnuptial-flight-tetramorium-immigrans-maryland-united-states",[93],{"type":120,"title":157,"url":158,"covers":159},"AntFlights: nuptial flight of Tetramorium immigrans, Región de Murcia (Spain), 28 May 2025 at 22:45 (light air, overcast, 24 degrees C, 49% humidity, verified on the site)","https:\u002F\u002Fantflights.com\u002Ff\u002F2491\u002Fnuptial-flight-tetramorium-immigrans-region-de-murcia-spain",[93],{"type":161,"title":162,"url":163,"covers":164},"forum","Formiculture: Our Tetramorium flight data (Illinois and Wisconsin, June 2018, flights as the sky brightened at dawn on warm and humid mornings, 44 colonies flew in Waukesha on 29 June, males before queens)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F9103-our-tetramorium-flight-data\u002F",[93],{"type":161,"title":166,"url":167,"covers":168},"Formiculture: Tetramorium immigrans, Western Massachusetts journal (queen found at the end of May, about 14 workers by late July)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F14063-tetramorium-immigrans-western-massachusetts\u002F",[98,93],{"type":170,"title":171,"url":172,"covers":173},"careSheet","Formiculture: Care sheet, Tetramorium immigrans (nest 21 to 25 degrees C, 30 to 40% humidity, winter rest at about 8 degrees C from November to February, PTFE barrier, flights in June after storms)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F4435-care-sheet-tetramorium-immigrans\u002F",[98,93],{"type":161,"title":175,"url":176,"covers":177},"Formiculture: Care sheet, Tetramorium immigrans, later replies (several North American keepers skip the winter rest without problems)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F4435-care-sheet-tetramorium-immigrans\u002Fpage-2",[98],{"type":161,"title":179,"url":180,"covers":181},"Formiculture: RushmoreAnts Tetramorium immigrans journal, \"Tetra Trek: The Next Generation\" (five multi-queen groups from a 4 July flight in South Dakota, workers killed queens down to one and two groups ended queenless, flooded tubes, escaped workers killed in a neighboring setup)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F21478-rmas-tetra-trek-the-next-generation-discontinued\u002F",[98,91],{"type":161,"title":183,"url":184,"covers":185},"Formiculture: Ant escape barrier (keepers rely on tight lids, fine steel mesh and double barriers for Tetramorium, one saw them eat an olive oil barrier)","https:\u002F\u002Fformiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F21564-ant-escape-barrier",[98],{"type":170,"title":187,"url":188,"covers":189},"Stateside Ants: Tetramorium immigrans care guide (heat only the front of the tube and keep it off the water, humid back part, optional winter rest, seeds accepted, egg to worker in 4 to 6 weeks, colonies past 10,000 workers)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.statesideants.com\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans-care",[98,91],{"type":170,"title":191,"url":192,"covers":193},"Ant Shack: Tetramorium immigrans encyclopedia entry (nest 21 to 27 degrees C, 40 to 60% humidity with one moist area, a 3-month winter rest at 10 to 15 degrees C recommended but not essential, small nests against trash and mold)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ant-shack.com\u002Fpages\u002Fencyclopedia-entry\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans",[98],{"type":170,"title":195,"url":196,"covers":197},"Ant Shack: Tetramorium immigrans care sheet and species profile (winter rest at 5 to 10 degrees C, small seeds stored, Fluon and tight seals, 10,000 to 30,000 workers)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ant-shack.com\u002Fblogs\u002Fant-care-sheets-1\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans-pavement-ant-care-sheet-species-profile",[98,91],{"type":170,"title":199,"url":200,"covers":201},"FormicaMarket: Tetramorium immigrans care guide (nest 20 to 28 degrees C, 40 to 60% humidity, winter rest at about 8 degrees C, queens 7 to 9 mm, flights listed from May to August)","https:\u002F\u002Fformicamarket.com\u002Fen\u002Fant-database\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans\u002F",[98,91,93],{"type":120,"title":203,"url":204,"covers":205},"EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern (Implementing Regulation 2016\u002F1141, consolidated)","https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Feli\u002Freg_impl\u002F2016\u002F1141\u002Foj",[206],"legal",{"type":120,"title":208,"url":209,"covers":210},"Wikipedia: List of invasive alien species of Union concern (the listed ants are Brachyponera chinensis, Solenopsis geminata, invicta and richteri, and Wasmannia auropunctata)","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FList_of_invasive_alien_species_of_Union_concern",[206],{"type":120,"title":212,"url":213,"covers":214},"MITECO: Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species, arthropods (no Tetramorium)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.miteco.gob.es\u002Fes\u002Fbiodiversidad\u002Ftemas\u002Fconservacion-de-especies\u002Fespecies-exoticas-invasoras\u002Fce_eei_artropodos_nc.html",[206],{"type":120,"title":216,"url":217,"covers":218},"Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), Anlage 1: protected species in Germany (no Tetramorium)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gesetze-im-internet.de\u002Fbartschv_2005\u002Fanlage_1.html",[206],{"type":120,"title":220,"url":221,"covers":222},"Japan Ministry of the Environment: designated invasive alien species under the Invasive Alien Species Act (no Tetramorium)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.env.go.jp\u002Fnature\u002Fintro\u002F2outline\u002Flist.html",[206],"species\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans","Myrmicinae",[226,227],22,28,"Crematogastrini",[230,231],2.5,4,"6LaxC0DgImGdNuyiT_lkPC6LgVqLFeB86Ma0AYSVIuA","tetramorium-immigrans","Tetramorium","Immigrant pavement ant",[237],"Tetramorium sp. E","The common pavement ant of North American cities: tiny, tough and fast-growing, it fights mass battles on sidewalks in spring.",{"id":240,"title":241,"aliases":236,"body":242,"description":246,"extension":248,"faqs":249,"identification":259,"language":260,"meta":261,"navigation":262,"nickname":235,"notes":263,"path":274,"seo":275,"stem":223,"tagline":238,"__hash__":276},"speciesProfiles\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans.md","Tetramorium Immigrans",{"type":243,"value":244,"toc":245},"minimark",[],{"title":246,"searchDepth":41,"depth":41,"links":247},"",[],"md",[250,253,256],{"question":251,"answer":252},"How can I tell Tetramorium immigrans from Tetramorium caespitum?","Not by eye. T. immigrans workers are on average the largest of these look-alikes, with more ridges behind the eyes and a stronger fine pattern on the first segment of the gaster, but telling them apart takes measurements at 100x magnification or more. Males differ in a small detail of their genitalia, and the two species can hybridize. Location helps: the common pavement ant of North America is T. immigrans, while in Britain and Fennoscandia only T. caespitum is recorded.",{"question":254,"answer":255},"Why do Tetramorium immigrans colonies fight mass battles on sidewalks?","Neighboring colonies clash mostly in spring, and thousands of workers pair off and wrestle by gripping each other's jaws. These fights are largely ritual: staged battles lasted about 45 minutes on average, and only tens to about a hundred dead workers are found afterward, out of the thousands involved. Nobody knows yet why they fight. One idea, from the related Tetramorium tsushimae, is that colonies compete for warm ground where they raise their winged queens and males.",{"question":257,"answer":258},"Where does Tetramorium immigrans come from?","Its genetic diversity is highest in Anatolia and the Caucasus, which makes that region its most likely origin, and it seems long settled in the Balkans and the Pannonian Basin. In western Europe and much of central Europe it is a newcomer, found mostly in towns and cities. It reached North America by the late 1800s, and genetic work suggests that the North American ants descend from one or a few related colonies, now spread to at least 39 US states and 3 Canadian provinces. The specimens used to name it came from Valparaíso, Chile.","Small dark brown to blackish workers with fine parallel ridges on the head and thorax, two short spines at the back of the thorax and a two-segment waist, on average a little larger and more densely sculptured than Tetramorium caespitum. Telling it from T. caespitum or T. impurum takes measurements at 100x magnification or a look at the male genitalia, while the Japanese pavement ant T. tsushimae is slightly smaller with longer spines.","en",{},true,[264,267,269,272],{"kind":265,"text":266},"watchOut","The workers are tiny and test every gap. One keeper saw Tetramorium eat an olive oil barrier, and another had workers slip through a small gap into a neighboring colony's setup, where they were killed at once. Use a tight lid, glue fine steel mesh over the vents and add a second barrier such as Fluon.",{"kind":265,"text":268},"Several queens kept together can found a nest as a group, but it does not last. In one keeper's five multi-queen groups the workers killed queens until one was left, and two groups ended with no queen at all, so keep one queen per tube.",{"kind":270,"text":271},"tip","Give the nest a moist end and a dry end, and warm one side only. Keepers report that the workers keep the eggs and larvae in the damp part and move the pupae and seeds to the drier part. In a test tube, heat only the end away from the water, because warming the water can make the tube flood.",{"kind":270,"text":273},"Feed insects several times a week, keep sugar water available and add a few small seeds such as dandelion, poppy or grass seeds, which the workers collect and store. Remove leftovers within a day and do not give a small colony an oversized nest, because trash builds up in the unused chambers and mold follows.","\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-immigrans",{"description":246},"bxoneJnOl4RbKziB8-V7bSGaNxQ9NVB49ZKlnONtIXA",[278,279,280,281],"Armenia","Azerbaijan","Russia","Türkiye",[283,285,286],{"name":59,"slug":284},"tetramorium-caespitum",{"name":60,"slug":24},{"name":61,"slug":24},[288,307,324],{"slug":284,"scientificName":59,"genus":234,"nickname":289,"aliases":290,"tagline":293,"image":294,"experience":295,"guide":80,"difficulty":231,"workerSize":296,"majorSize":24,"queenSize":297,"temperature":299,"hibernation":302,"hibernationTemperature":303,"hibernationBand":304,"sizeClass":305,"founding":36,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":306},"Pavement ant",[291,292],"Red pavement ant","Turf ant","Tiny, tough and fast-growing, as long as your nest is escape-proof.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Ftetramorium-caespitum\u002Ftetramorium_caespitum_colony_on_rocks_5.jpeg","firstHand",[41,231],[298,75],6,[300,301],21,27,"required",[43,75],"cold","small",[77],{"slug":308,"scientificName":309,"genus":310,"nickname":246,"aliases":311,"tagline":312,"image":313,"experience":33,"guide":24,"difficulty":23,"workerSize":314,"majorSize":24,"queenSize":316,"temperature":318,"hibernation":302,"hibernationTemperature":321,"hibernationBand":304,"sizeClass":305,"founding":36,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":322},"temnothorax-unifasciatus","Temnothorax unifasciatus","Temnothorax",[],"A tiny, peaceful ant with a dark band across its gaster, small enough that a whole colony can live inside an acorn.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Ftemnothorax-unifasciatus\u002Ftemnothorax-unifasciatus.jpg",[230,315],3.5,[315,317],4.5,[319,320],20,26,[43,44],[77,323,78],"northAfrica",{"slug":325,"scientificName":326,"genus":327,"nickname":246,"aliases":328,"tagline":330,"image":331,"experience":33,"guide":24,"difficulty":41,"workerSize":332,"majorSize":24,"queenSize":333,"temperature":335,"hibernation":302,"hibernationTemperature":337,"hibernationBand":304,"sizeClass":305,"founding":36,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":338},"lasius-alienus","Lasius alienus","Lasius",[329],"Cornfield ant","A small, shy brown Lasius of warm, dry grassland and limestone ground, easily mistaken for the black garden ant.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Flasius-alienus\u002Flasius-alienus.jpg",[41,231],[69,334],9,[300,336],25,[43,75],[77,78,339],"asia",[341],{"pair":342,"name":59},"tetramorium-caespitum-vs-tetramorium-immigrans",[344,351,358],{"id":345,"title":346,"description":347,"image":348,"categoryText":349,"path":350},"blog\u002Fhow-to-care-for-tetramorium-caespitum.md","How To Care for Tetramorium caespitum","In this guide you will learn how to care for Tetramorium caespitum! Temperature, humidity, food, hibernation, nest type... and much more!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_tetramorium_caespitum_care_guide.png","Care Guides","\u002Fhow-to-care-for-tetramorium-caespitum",{"id":352,"title":353,"description":354,"image":355,"categoryText":356,"path":357},"blog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-tubs-and-tubes-setup.md","How To Make a Tubs & Tubes Setup","In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a tubs and tubes setup, the best way to create the optimal environment for your queen ant!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_tubs_and_tubes_setup_tutorial.png","Tutorials & D.I.Y.","\u002Fhow-to-make-a-tubs-and-tubes-setup",{"id":359,"title":360,"description":361,"image":362,"categoryText":363,"path":364},"blog\u002Fhow-to-hibernate-your-ants.md","How To Hibernate Your Ants - Hibernation Tutorial","In this guide, we’re going to talk about hibernation: What is it? Why do ants need hibernation? Should I hibernate my ants? Let's see!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_hibernation_guide.png","Ant Keeping Basics","\u002Fhow-to-hibernate-your-ants",1793205497161]