Camponotus lateralis
DifficultyBeginner · 4/7
Species comparison
Camponotus lateralis vs Crematogaster scutellaris
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Camponotus lateralis | Fact | Crematogaster scutellaris |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
Easier4/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 6/7 Intermediate |
| Escape risk | ||
Medium | Escape risk | Medium |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Wooden nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest | Best nests | Wooden nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | FasterVery fast |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 1,000 workers | Colony size | Reaches 1,000 workers |
| Workers | ||
3–7 mm Many sizes | Workers | 3–5 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
8–10 mm | Queen | 7–9 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites · Smears venom |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
21–27 °C | Nest temperature | 21–25 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
40–60 % | Nest humidity | 50–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Nov – Feb | Hibernation | 8–12 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Apr – May Hot days · Calm weather | Nuptial flights | Aug – Oct |
| Native range | ||
Europe, North Africa, Middle East | Native range | Europe, North Africa |
Size to scale
Camponotus lateralis
Workers · 3–7 mmQueen · 8–10 mmCrematogaster scutellaris
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 7–9 mm
Their year side by side
Camponotus lateralis : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Apr – May
Crematogaster scutellaris : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Aug – Oct
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 lateralis
Small, slender workers with a reddish-brown head (sometimes the thorax too) and a black gaster with a pale yellow edge on each segment, in sizes that grade smoothly from minors to bigger majors. They imitate Crematogaster scutellaris but have a single waist segment instead of two, and since the group has several close look-alikes such as the glossy black Camponotus piceus, a colony sold under this name can turn out to be a close relative.
- Tip Give the colony a compact, dry, warm nest and a separate water source. It comes from dry, sunny Mediterranean woodland and does not like damp, and one keeper's colony kept its brood in a corner away from the moist part of the nest.
- Watch out Be patient with founding queens. This is a slow starter that can take a long time to lay, and the first batch of workers is small. Keepers advise leaving a young colony in its test tube, with its water reserve, through the first winters instead of hurrying it into a nest.
Crematogaster scutellaris
Workers with a red head, a dark body and a heart-shaped gaster that they lift above their head when disturbed. In the wild you will often find them in dead trees and old wood.
- Tip A wooden nest is the natural choice for this species: they love nesting in wood, and a wooden nest needs no watering and very little maintenance.
- Tip Keep honey on hand, because they love it: a small drop also gives a newly founded queen the energy she needs, without any protein.
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