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Trichomyrmex destructor

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Description

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Trichomyrmex destructor is the first species in my ant breeding venture that somewhat scares me to keep them at home. Its common names are Destructive trailing ant or Singapore ant. The first name doesn't even partially describe their destructive behavior!

This species primarily inhabits Central Asia but has also spread to North Africa, Southern Europe, the United States, and Australia. These ants nest in various locations depending on the external environment, such as in the ground, on trees, in buildings, and they have a liking for electrical devices. Someone once found their colony inside a smartphone or tablet purchased at an airport! In some areas, they are closely associated with humans, such as in Northern Australia. A colony can consist of countless queens and millions of workers. They are highly invasive, incredibly adaptable to new environments, extremely aggressive, and dominant bastards. These ants reproduce through nest flights and colony division (similar to pharaoh ants), although there are also reports of their mating flights.

This species is known for nibbling on everything possible - plastic, tires, car cables, phone cables, and household items. Several car and house fires in Australia were triggered in this way. Destructor ants are among the few ants that attack humans not in defense but for protein acquisition! There have been cases of newborns being bitten. On Dry Tortugas Island (Florida), a colony of tens of millions of workers took over a laboratory and forced scientists to suspend their beds on chains coated with a corrosive substance. One of the scientists dropped a corner of a duvet, and the ants attacked him so severely that he lost consciousness. Laboratory staff also smeared furniture legs with caustic agents, which did not prevent the ants from killing all the laboratory rats in less than a day. The laboratory was eventually abandoned.

I have read and watched many recordings about this species. In their natural habitat, workers resemble pharaoh ants in coloration. However, workers from my colony have random coloration. Regardless of their caste, they can be colored like pharaoh ants or partially or entirely dark brown, almost black. It is very pleasant to observe such a diverse colony.

Until 2015, this species was classified as Monomorium destructor. Indeed, these ants strongly resemble pharaoh ants with a caste of soldiers.

Species: Trichomyrmex destructor

Difficulty: very low, excluding escape attempts

Soldiers: yes

Size: queens approximately 6 mm, workers approximately 2 mm

Coloration: from black to orange, workers in the same colony differ in color regardless of caste

Distribution: mainly South Asia, Africa, Australia, but also both Americas

Nutrition: honey water and feeder insects. Larger colonies can also consume dead mice, your dinner, or virtually any animal protein source. They love chocolate.

Hibernation: none

Temperature: 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86 degrees Fahrenheit)

Recommended Formicarium: so far I can confirm that acrylic is suitable. I would avoid tubes, wood, silicone and any other potentially leaky nests.