Lasius niger
Black garden ant
DifficultyBeginner · 2/7
Kept by BrumaSpecies comparison
Lasius niger vs Pheidole pallidula
Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.
Head to head
| Lasius niger | Fact | Pheidole pallidula |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
Easier2/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 7/7 Advanced |
| Escape risk | ||
LowerMedium | Escape risk | High |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsectsSeeds |
| Best nests | ||
Sandwich nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest | Best nests | Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | FasterVery fast |
| Colony size | ||
No data yet | Colony size | Reaches 1,000 workers |
| Workers | ||
3–5 mm All the same size | Workers | 2–4 mm majors up to 6 mm |
| Queen | ||
8–9 mm | Queen | 7–8 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One or more queens |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
23–25 °C | Nest temperature | 21–28 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
40–60 % | Nest humidity | 60–70 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 12–16 °C Nov – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Jul – Aug Hot days · Calm weather | Nuptial flights | May – Aug |
| Native range | ||
Europe, Asia | Native range | Europe, North Africa |
Size to scale
Lasius niger
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 8–9 mmPheidole pallidula
Workers · 2–4 mmMajors · ≤ 6 mmQueen · 7–8 mm
Their year side by side
Lasius niger : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Jul – Aug
Pheidole pallidula : Hibernation: Nov – Mar, Nuptial flights: May – 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 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.
Pheidole pallidula
Light yellowish to reddish-brown workers of two kinds: small, quick minors and majors whose head looks far too big for their body. The majors carry strong, sharp jaws.
- Tip Offer a few small seeds next to the sugar and insects: the big-headed majors crack them open so the whole colony can eat the soft part inside.
- Tip They like consistently moist chambers. If the nest dries out too quickly, rearrange the setup so it holds moisture better: in a naturalistic setup, a piece of wood or a bark substrate helps.
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