Species comparison

Messor barbarus 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

Messor barbarus and Tetramorium caespitum compared fact by fact
Messor barbarusTetramorium caespitum
Keeping
Difficulty
Easier1/7

Beginner

4/7

Beginner

Escape risk
LowerLow
High
Diet
SugarInsectsSeeds
SugarInsects
Best nests
Ytong nest · Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Acrylic nest · Test tube setup · Naturalistic setup
Colony
Growth
FasterVery fast
Fast
Colony size
Reaches 1,000 workers
No data yet
Workers
3–8 mm

majors up to 14 mm

2–4 mm

All the same size

Queen
14–17 mm
6–8 mm
Colony founding
Fully claustral

One queen

Fully claustral

One queen

Defense
Bites
Bites · Stings
Climate
Nest temperature
21–26 °C
21–27 °C
Nest humidity
50–60 %

Seed granaries: 10–40 %

50–60 %
Hibernation
12–16 °C

Oct – Mar

5–8 °C

Oct – Mar

Nuptial flights
Sep – Nov

After rain

Jun – Aug
Native range
Europe, North Africa
Europe

Size to scale

  • Messor barbarus

    Workers · 3–8 mm
    Majors · ≤ 14 mm
    Queen · 14–17 mm

  • Tetramorium caespitum

    Workers · 2–4 mm
    Queen · 6–8 mm
10 mm: both species are drawn at the same scale

Their year side by side

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

  • 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

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.

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.

More comparisons

Compare
with
Messor barbarus care guide Tetramorium caespitum care guide

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