Bug FAQAfrican Thief Ant
Carebara vidua · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
Also called: Black Thief Ant
Source: Wikipedia
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African thief ants have a shiny black body with a large rounded abdomen, and some have a paler abdomen. Colonies live deep underground under soil, rocks or buildings and are usually noticed only during their annual swarming in the long rainy season.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They have a shiny black body and a noticeably enlarged, rounded abdomen. Some individuals show a paler abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adult females are relatively large, about 20 to 25 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Worker ants are wingless and possess a functional sting.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They build extensive underground colonies with many chambers and tunnels, often beneath soil, rocks, or human structures. These colonies are hard to spot except when the ants swarm to reproduce.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Reproductive swarming happens once a year during the long rainy season. After mating, males die quickly, while fertilized females dig shallow soil chambers to start new colonies; their eggs hatch in about 5 to 7 days.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Swarming occurs annually in the long rainy season. Winged males and females leave the nest between late morning and mid-afternoon.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to East Africa, especially the Lake Victoria area of Kenya.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
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Questions people ask
Do they sting?
Yes, worker ants have a functional sting that can cause a mild reaction.
Source: Wikipedia
When do they appear?
They swarm once a year during the long rainy season, with winged ants emerging from late morning to mid-afternoon.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they from?
They are native to East Africa, especially the Lake Victoria region of Kenya.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebara_vidua
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.