Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Tapinoma sessile

This ant is very opportunistic, living a variety nesting sites, moving constantly (on average every 13 days) to avoid the different  weather conditions. If found inside structures, these ants will eat many available foods but prefer to feed on sweets. When crushed, the workers of this species give off an odor which resembles that of rotten coconut. There is only one size worker in their colonies; they are usually about 1/8 inch in length. The odorous house ant is dark brown to black in color, has 12 segments in its antennae, no circle of hairs on tip of abdomen, no club on the antennae, one node, and has an uneven thorax when viewed from the side. This ant infests structures in certain areas of the country, especially in the mid South regions such as Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.