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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Garden Ant sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 482 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.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Garden Ant in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Vancouver's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 25 mm in July.
3rd of 13
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Black Garden Ant sightings, Vancouver ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, about 10%) and Dublin (Ireland, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Garden Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Vancouver (69 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.
