Lasius niger
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The black garden ant (Lasius niger), also known as the common black ant, is a formicine ant, the type species of the genus Lasius, which is found across Europe and in some parts of North America, and believed to inhabit certain parts of Asia. The European species was split into two species; L. niger, which is found in open areas; and L. platythorax, which is found in forest habitats. It is monogynous, meaning colonies contain a single queen.
Lasius niger colonies normally range from 4,000 to 7,000 workers, but can reach 40,000 in rare cases. An L. niger queen can live for up to 29 years, the longest recorded lifespan for any eusocial insect. Lasius niger queens in the early stages of founding can have two to three other queens in the nest. They will tolerate each other until the first workers come, then it is most likely they will fight until one queen remains. Under laboratory conditions, workers can live at least four years.
Lasius niger is host to the silver-studded blue butterfly Plebejus argus; it is also host to a number of temporary social parasites of the Lasius mixtus group, including Lasius mixtus and Lasius umbratus. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 5 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 9 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Garden Ant sighting in Dublin on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 95th most-seen of the 121 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Garden Ant in Dublin on a given day, against under 5% in June and August–March, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Black Garden Ant sightings, Dublin ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Black Garden Ant that you can see in Dublin (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Common Carder Bumble Bee (about 30%), Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 20%) and Common European Yellowjacket (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Garden Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Dublin (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
