Bug FAQBlack Garden Ant
Lasius niger · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
Also called: Common Black Ant, Small Black Ant
The black garden ant, Lasius niger, is the type species of its genus and workers turn from white to black within an hour after emerging. Colonies have a single queen, build large nests with many tunnels, and the queens start new colonies after a nuptial flight in summer months. The species is found in open European habitats, while a close relative lives in forests, and larvae are fed by the queen or workers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Lasius niger is the type species of its genus and is also called the common black ant. New workers are initially white and become black within about an hour.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Colonies contain only one queen. They construct large nests with extensive tunnel networks.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae must be fed by the queen or, in established colonies, by workers to develop.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
After mating, queens shed their wings and dig a tunnel to start a new colony.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mating flights usually happen from June to September across the species' range.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In Europe the species is split: L. niger lives in open areas, while L. platythorax occupies forest habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The European species is divided into L. niger (open areas) and L. platythorax (forest habitats).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, California, Wyoming.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_garden_ant
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.