Lasius flavus
Yellow meadow ant
DifficultyBeginner · 2/7
Species comparison
Lasius flavus 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
| Lasius flavus | Fact | Lasius niger |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
2/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 2/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
LowerLow | Escape risk | Medium |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Ytong nest · Sandwich nest · Naturalistic setup | Best nests | Sandwich nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | Moderate |
| Colony size | ||
No data yet | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
2–5 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 or more queens | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites · Sprays formic acid |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
20–25 °C | Nest temperature | 23–25 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
60–70 % | Nest humidity | 40–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
5–8 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 8–12 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Jul – Sep Hot days · Calm weather | Nuptial flights | Jul – Aug Hot days · Calm weather |
| Native range | ||
Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Asia | Native range | Europe, Asia |
Size to scale
Lasius flavus
Workers · 2–5 mmQueen · 7–9 mmLasius niger
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 8–9 mm
Their year side by side
Lasius flavus : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Jul – Sep
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
Lasius flavus
Small workers of a clear yellow to brownish-yellow color with tiny eyes, living almost entirely underground or under stones in grass; unlike the similar Lasius umbratus, they have no erect hairs on the antennal scapes and shins. The queen is light to dark brown with a paler underside, so she is often mistaken for a Lasius niger queen.
- Tip In the wild they live mostly on honeydew from root aphids, so keep honey or sugar water on offer whenever the colony is active and add small soft insects, like fruit flies, for the brood.
- Tip They are soil dwellers that suffer when the nest dries out. Give them a nest that stays moist, such as a Ytong, gypsum or soil-based one, with a drier corner they can retreat to.
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.
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