Species comparison

Crematogaster scutellaris vs Messor barbarus

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 and Messor barbarus compared fact by fact
Crematogaster scutellarisMessor barbarus
Keeping
Difficulty
6/7

Intermediate

Easier1/7

Beginner

Escape risk
Medium
LowerLow
Diet
SugarInsects
SugarInsectsSeeds
Best nests
Wooden nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest
Ytong nest · Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Colony
Growth
Very fast
Very fast
Colony size
Reaches 1,000 workers
Reaches 1,000 workers
Workers
3–5 mm

All the same size

3–8 mm

majors up to 14 mm

Queen
7–9 mm
14–17 mm
Colony founding
Fully claustral

One queen

Fully claustral

One queen

Defense
Bites · Smears venom
Bites
Climate
Nest temperature
21–25 °C
21–26 °C
Nest humidity
50–60 %
50–60 %

Seed granaries: 10–40 %

Hibernation
8–12 °C

Oct – Mar

12–16 °C

Oct – Mar

Nuptial flights
Aug – Oct
Sep – Nov

After rain

Native range
Europe, North Africa
Europe, North Africa

Size to scale

  • Crematogaster scutellaris

    Workers · 3–5 mm
    Queen · 7–9 mm

  • Messor barbarus

    Workers · 3–8 mm
    Majors · ≤ 14 mm
    Queen · 14–17 mm
10 mm: both species are drawn at the same scale

Their year side by side

  • Crematogaster scutellaris : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Aug – Oct

  • Messor barbarus : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Sep – Nov

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.

Messor barbarus

Black workers in many sizes, from small minors to majors with an oversized red head that cracks seeds. They walk slowly and clumsily, and they are poor climbers.

  • Tip Give the nest a humidity gradient: dry granaries keep the seeds from sprouting or going moldy, while the brood needs the humid chambers.
  • Tip Seeds alone can feed the whole colony, but a few insects once the colony has grown a bit speed up the growth of the brood.

More comparisons

Compare
with
Crematogaster scutellaris care guide Messor barbarus care guide

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