Crematogaster scutellaris
Acrobat ant
DifficultyIntermediate · 6/7
Kept by BrumaSpecies comparison
Crematogaster scutellaris vs Lasius niger
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Crematogaster scutellaris | Fact | Lasius niger |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
6/7 Intermediate | Difficulty | Easier2/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
Medium | Escape risk | Medium |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Wooden nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest | Best nests | Sandwich nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
FasterVery fast | Growth | Moderate |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 1,000 workers | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
3–5 mm All the same size | Workers | 3–5 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
7–9 mm | Queen | 8–9 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Smears venom | Defense | Bites · Sprays formic acid |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
21–25 °C | Nest temperature | 23–25 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
50–60 % | Nest humidity | 40–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 8–12 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Aug – Oct | Nuptial flights | Jul – Aug Hot days · Calm weather |
| Native range | ||
Europe, North Africa | Native range | Europe, Asia |
Size to scale
Crematogaster scutellaris
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 7–9 mmLasius niger
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 8–9 mm
Their year side by side
Crematogaster scutellaris : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Aug – Oct
Lasius niger : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Jul – 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
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.
Lasius niger
Small workers that are uniformly dark brown to black with a slightly shiny body, among the commonest ants of gardens, lawns and pavements. Unlike Lasius emarginatus, there is no reddish color on the thorax.
- Tip Use a soil-based sandwich nest to watch them dig their own tunnels, or a white Ytong nest, where the black workers stand out sharply.
- Tip In the wild they milk aphids for honeydew, so they go wild for sweet food: keep honey, sugar water or ant jelly on offer and add a little protein, such as Gammarus or small insects, for the brood.
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.
