Common European thief ant
The common European thief ant is a sneaky little ant. It builds its home right next to the nest of another kind of ant. Then it digs tiny tunnels into the neighbours' nest and carries off their food.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Its tunnels into the neighbours' nest are so tiny that the bigger ants cannot follow it back.
It is the only ant of its group that lives naturally in Britain, but it is rare there.
It is a cousin of the fire ants from warm countries, but it is paler in colour.
Unlike its tropical cousins, it sleeps through the cold winter, when there is little food.
Most asked questions about Common European thief ant
?Why is it called a thief ant?
Because it steals food. It digs tiny tunnels into the nest of another ant species and takes their food.
?Where does the common European thief ant live?
All over Europe and in Central Asia, and in a few places on the south coast of England.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Solenopsis fugax
- Group
- Ants
- Family
- Formicidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hymenoptera > Formicidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Solenopsis fugax (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by April Nobile. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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