[1] Widespread in arid Central Australia, the species inhabits low-shrub and grassland deserts, where it builds fairly large underground nests.

They forage solitarily for food such as dead insects, seeds, and sugary plant exudates and are well known for their ability to store liquids in the abdomens of specialized workers, the so-called repletes or "honey pots", hence their common name "red honey ant" (the genus name Melophorus means "honey carrier").

[2] Nest relocation is possibly aided by trail laying behavior, which is highly unusual for solitary foraging desert ants.

The founding stage of an ant colony is usually characterized by the same sequence of events.

Reproduction occurs in synchronized mating flights, which are probably triggered by rain.