Lasius niger
Black garden ant
DifficultyBeginner · 2/7
Kept by BrumaSpecies comparison
Lasius niger 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
| Lasius niger | Fact | Tetramorium caespitum |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping | ||
| Difficulty | ||
Easier2/7 Beginner | Difficulty | 4/7 Beginner |
| Escape risk | ||
LowerMedium | Escape risk | High |
| Diet | ||
SugarInsects | Diet | SugarInsects |
| Best nests | ||
Sandwich nest · Ytong nest · Acrylic nest | Best nests | Acrylic nest · Test tube setup · Naturalistic setup |
| Colony | ||
| Growth | ||
Moderate | Growth | FasterFast |
| Colony size | ||
No data yet | Colony size | No data yet |
| Workers | ||
3–5 mm All the same size | Workers | 2–4 mm All the same size |
| Queen | ||
8–9 mm | Queen | 6–8 mm |
| Colony founding | ||
Fully claustral One queen | Colony founding | Fully claustral One queen |
| Defense | ||
Bites · Sprays formic acid | Defense | Bites · Stings |
| Climate | ||
| Nest temperature | ||
23–25 °C | Nest temperature | 21–27 °C |
| Nest humidity | ||
40–60 % | Nest humidity | 50–60 % |
| Hibernation | ||
8–12 °C Oct – Mar | Hibernation | 5–8 °C Oct – Mar |
| Nuptial flights | ||
Jul – Aug Hot days · Calm weather | Nuptial flights | Jun – Aug |
| Native range | ||
Europe, Asia | Native range | Europe |
Size to scale
Lasius niger
Workers · 3–5 mmQueen · 8–9 mmTetramorium caespitum
Workers · 2–4 mmQueen · 6–8 mm
Their year side by side
Lasius niger : Hibernation: Oct – Mar, Nuptial flights: Jul – Aug
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
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.
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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