Camponotus herculeanus
Hercules ant
DifficultyBeginner · 4/7
Species comparison
Camponotus herculeanus vs Camponotus ligniperda
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Camponotus herculeanus | Fact | Camponotus ligniperda |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
4/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 4/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
Medium | Escape risk | Medium |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Ytong nest · Wooden nest · Naturalistic setup | Best nests | Ytong nest · Wooden nest · Naturalistic setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | Moderate |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 5,000 workers | Colony size | Reaches 5,000 workers |
| Workers | ||
6–11 mm majors up to 13 mm | Workers | 6–10 mm majors up to 14 mm |
| Queen | ||
14–17 mm | Queen | 16–18 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites · Sprays formic acid |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
18–25 °C | Nest temperature | 20–25 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
50–60 % | Nest humidity | 50–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
5–8 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 5–8 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
May – Jun Hot days · Humid air | Nuptial flights | May – Jun Hot days · Humid air |
| Native range | ||
Europe, Asia, North America | Native range | Europe, Middle East |
Size to scale
Camponotus herculeanus
Workers · 6–11 mmMajors · ≤ 13 mmQueen · 14–17 mmCamponotus ligniperda
Workers · 6–10 mmMajors · ≤ 14 mmQueen · 16–18 mm
Their year side by side
Camponotus herculeanus : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: May – Jun
Camponotus ligniperda : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: May – Jun
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 herculeanus
Large workers with a black head and gaster and a dull dark red to reddish-black thorax and legs. Compared with Camponotus ligniperda they look stockier and duller, with little or no red on the gaster, and they favor colder, higher and shadier woods, but the two are hard to tell apart by eye with certainty.
- Tip Keep the nest on the cool side and add only a small warm spot, such as a heat cable under one end. The colony moves its brood to the warmth by itself, and constant heat is not needed for this northern species.
- Watch out Wooden nests dry out easily. One keeper lost a whole season when colonies in dry wooden nests stagnated and ate their brood, so give every wooden nest a damp chamber or a water supply.
Camponotus ligniperda
Large, shiny ants with a black head and gaster and a bright red-brown thorax, plus a red tint that often spreads onto the front of the gaster. Workers range from small minors to majors with a huge head, and the brighter color and shinier gaster set them apart from the duller Camponotus herculeanus, which prefers colder, higher forests, although the two can be hard to separate by eye.
- Watch out Do not keep the colony warm all year. It follows an inner yearly clock, and constant heating can make it wrap up its season early and drift into winter rest in late summer. A small warm corner for the brood is enough.
- Tip Offer a damp chamber next to a drier part of the nest. The ants carry eggs and larvae to the moister spots, and a nest kept completely dry slows the brood down.
More comparisons
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.
