Arboreal Bicolored Slender Ant

Tetraponera rufonigra · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae

Can sting. They can sting people and may cause allergic reactions.

Source: Wikipedia

Arboreal Bicolored Slender Ant
Photo: Sabarni Sarker, CC BY

The bi-coloured arboreal ant lives in trees, making small nests in dried wood. It hunts small insects for food and is found across Southeast Asia. Its sting can trigger allergic reactions in humans.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It is commonly called the bi-coloured arboreal ant.

Source: Wikipedia

Does it bite or sting?

They have a well-developed sting that can cause allergic reactions in people.

Source: Wikipedia

How to get rid of it

In Sinhala they are known as “Hath polayaa”.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

These ants are arboreal and build small nests in dried parts of trees.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

They are active hunters that prey on small insects.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

They are distributed across Southeast Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Tetraponera rufonigra belongs to the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

Can these ants sting humans?

Yes, their sting can cause allergic reactions.

Source: Wikipedia

Where do they build their nests?

They make small nests in dried parts of trees.

Source: Wikipedia

What do they eat?

They hunt and eat small insects.

Source: Wikipedia

How are they referred to in Sinhala?

They are called “Hath polayaa”.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Formicidae)

Eastern Black Carpenter AntEastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your homeRed Imported Fire AntRed Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan stingAmerican Winter AntAmerican Winter AntPrenolepis imparisArgentine AntArgentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerousImmigrant Pavement AntImmigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan stingOdorous House AntOdorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your home

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraponera_rufonigra

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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