Diet

• Omnivorous, feeding on nectar, honeydew from aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs, as well as dead insects, small arthropods, seeds, fruit juices, fungi, and human food scraps.

• Workers readily scavenge a wide variety of foods and also prey on small invertebrates.

• Frequently tend sap-feeding insects in exchange for their sugary honeydew.

Range

• Believed to have originated in either Africa or tropical Asia, but now found throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

• Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

• One of the world's most successful invasive ant species, commonly associated with ports, cities, and disturbed habitats.

Habitat

• Occupies tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, mangroves, agricultural land, gardens, parks, beaches, hotels, and urban areas.

• Nests in soil, leaf litter, beneath rocks, under logs, inside rotting wood, wall voids, potted plants, and buildings.

• Colonies frequently relocate to new nesting sites when disturbed.

Size

• Worker length: 2.5–3.0 mm (0.10–0.12 in)

• Queen length: 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in)

• Colonies typically contain thousands to tens of thousands of workers and often multiple queens.