Species comparison

Camponotus barbaricus vs Camponotus sylvaticus

Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.

Head to head

Camponotus barbaricus and Camponotus sylvaticus compared fact by fact
Camponotus barbaricusCamponotus sylvaticus
Keeping
Difficulty
4/7

Beginner

4/7

Beginner

Escape risk
LowerMedium
High
Diet
SugarInsects
SugarInsects
Best nests
Ytong nest · Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Ytong nest · Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Colony
Growth
FasterFast
Moderate
Colony size
Reaches 10,000 workers
Reaches 5,000 workers
Workers
6–12 mm

majors up to 16 mm

6–12 mm

majors up to 15 mm

Queen
16–18 mm
14–17 mm
Colony founding
Fully claustral

One queen

Fully claustral

One queen

Defense
Bites · Sprays formic acid
Bites · Sprays formic acid
Climate
Nest temperature
25–30 °C
22–28 °C
Nest humidity
40–60 %
40–60 %
Hibernation
12–18 °C

Nov – Feb

8–14 °C

Nov – Feb

Nuptial flights
Jun – Aug

Hot days · Calm weather

Jun – Aug

Hot days · Humid air

Native range
Europe, North Africa
Europe

Size to scale

  • Camponotus barbaricus

    Workers · 6–12 mm
    Majors · ≤ 16 mm
    Queen · 16–18 mm

  • Camponotus sylvaticus

    Workers · 6–12 mm
    Majors · ≤ 15 mm
    Queen · 14–17 mm
10 mm: both species are drawn at the same scale

Their year side by side

  • Camponotus barbaricus : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Jun – Aug

  • Camponotus sylvaticus : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, 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

Camponotus barbaricus

Glossy black workers in many sizes, with a black head and gaster and a thorax that runs from black to dark red or orange between individuals and colonies, so shipments from different places can look quite different. Compared with Camponotus cruentatus the body is shinier and the gaster has no orange band, and since the name also covers regional forms such as the subspecies xanthomelas, the exact identity of shop colonies is rarely certain.

  • Tip Heat only one side of the nest. One colony stayed tiny for years at room temperature and took off after a heat mat was added, and since eggs, young larvae and pupae choose different spots, a warm end with a cooler corner works best.
  • Watch out Do not rely on smooth glass or a thin coating, because the workers climb vertical glass, walk upside down and in one journal walked straight over a PTFE spray. Keep lids tight with no gaps, and feed in an outworld rather than inside the test tube, where some workers rush out and get lost when it is opened.

Camponotus sylvaticus

Shiny, sparsely haired workers with a dark head and gaster and a thorax that runs from red to dark reddish brown, sometimes almost black, in all sizes up to majors with a large head, and the small minors can look darker than the majors. Keepers mix it up with Camponotus barbaricus, C. foreli and C. pilicornis (orange head, hairy cheeks), so a doubtful colony is worth checking under a microscope.

  • Watch out The workers are long-legged and extremely fast. One keeper watched them skim over an anti-escape coating and lost many every time the lid was opened, so feed through a small hatch or from a connected foraging box and back the barrier up with a second one.
  • Watch out Expect them to remodel soft nest materials. Queens reshaped cork-based founding nests within hours, and one shop warns that Ytong needs to be encased because they chew it, so keep soft material enclosed or choose acrylic for a growing colony.

More comparisons

Compare
with
Camponotus barbaricus sheet Camponotus sylvaticus sheet

Not sure which ant to keep?

Take the 1-minute species finder quiz and get matched with the perfect species for your experience, your space and what you'd love to watch.

See all species