Aphaenogaster subterranea
DifficultyBeginner · 4/7
Species comparison
Aphaenogaster subterranea vs Tetramorium caespitum
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Aphaenogaster subterranea | Fact | Tetramorium caespitum |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
4/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 4/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
LowerLow | Escape risk | High |
| Diet | ||
InsectsSugar | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Ytong nest · Naturalistic setup · Sandwich nest | Best nests | Acrylic nest · Test tube setup · Naturalistic setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | FasterFast |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 2,000 workers | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
3–5 mm All the same size | Workers | 2–4 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
7–8 mm | Queen | 6–8 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Stings | Defense | Bites · Stings |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
20–26 °C | Nest temperature | 21–27 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
50–65 % | Nest humidity | 50–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Nov – Feb | Hibernation | 5–8 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Jul – Sep | Nuptial flights | Jun – Aug |
| Native range | ||
Europe | Native range | Europe |
Size to scale
Aphaenogaster subterranea
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 7–8 mmTetramorium caespitum
Workers · 2–4 mmQueen · 6–8 mm
Their year side by side
Aphaenogaster subterranea : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Jul – Sep
Tetramorium caespitum : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Jun – Aug
Months for temperate Europe and the Mediterranean. The weather decides the exact days, so flights can come earlier or later where you live.
How to tell them apart
Aphaenogaster subterranea
Slim, shiny, reddish-brown workers with long yellowish legs and antennae, a pair of spines on the thorax and a waist with a long stalk, like a slimmer Myrmica. The very similar Aphaenogaster ichnusa, found in the same southern European regions, has shorter, stubbier spines.
- Tip Be patient with a young colony: it starts slowly, and keepers report only a handful of workers after the first months, then faster growth once the colony has settled in.
- Tip The workers carry everything they find straight into the nest and cannot pass liquids mouth to mouth. Cut food into small pieces so nothing big rots inside, and put a pinch of clean sand in the nest or beside the sugar water, because they carry liquids on soaked grains.
Tetramorium caespitum
Tiny dark brown to blackish workers with fine ridges on the head and thorax, a smooth shiny gaster and a waist made of two small segments. A pair of short spines sticks out at the back of the thorax.
- Watch out These ants are masters at finding gaps, so pick an acrylic or test tube-based nest whose layers fit tightly together, and check every join of a naturalistic enclosure.
- Tip Give this fast grower plenty of protein: once the first workers are out, regular insects feed the queen and the brood.
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