Crematogaster scutellaris
Acrobat ant
DifficultyIntermediate · 6/7
Kept by BrumaSpecies comparison
Crematogaster scutellaris vs Tetramorium caespitum
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 | Tetramorium caespitum |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
6/7 Intermediate | Difficulty | Easier4/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
LowerMedium | Escape risk | High |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Wooden nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest | Best nests | Acrylic nest · Test tube setup · Naturalistic setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
FasterVery fast | Growth | Fast |
| Colony size | ||
Reaches 1,000 workers | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
3–5 mm All the same size | Workers | 2–4 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
7–9 mm | Queen | 6–8 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Smears venom | Defense | Bites · Stings |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
21–25 °C | Nest temperature | 21–27 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
50–60 % | Nest humidity | 50–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 5–8 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Aug – Oct | Nuptial flights | Jun – Aug |
| Native range | ||
Europe, North Africa | Native range | Europe |
Size to scale
Crematogaster scutellaris
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 7–9 mmTetramorium caespitum
Workers · 2–4 mmQueen · 6–8 mm
Their year side by side
Crematogaster scutellaris : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Aug – Oct
Tetramorium caespitum : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, 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
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.
Tetramorium caespitum
Tiny dark brown to blackish workers with fine ridges on the head and thorax, a smooth shiny gaster and a waist made of two small segments. A pair of short spines sticks out at the back of the thorax.
- Watch out These ants are masters at finding gaps, so pick an acrylic or test tube-based nest whose layers fit tightly together, and check every join of a naturalistic enclosure.
- Tip Give this fast grower plenty of protein: once the first workers are out, regular insects feed the queen and the brood.
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