Lasius claviger

Lasius claviger - "Common Citronella Ant"

Lasius claviger is a subterranean ant native to eastern North America, ranging from southern New England to Minnesota and south to Florida. Workers are small at 3-5mm, typically yellow to brownish-yellow in color, with a distinctive covering of long standing hairs and sparse to moderate pubescence. Queens are larger at 6-7mm with a dark brown body that appears almost black to the naked eye. This species is notable for its temporary social parasitism, queens must invade and take over colonies of other Lasius species to establish their own colonies, making them challenging to found in captivity. Colonies can grow enormous and spread over wide areas in forest habitats.

Quick Summary

• Difficulty: Hard
• Origin & Habitat: Eastern North America, found from southern New England to Minnesota, south to Kansas and east to Florida. Nests in soil under stones and in well-decayed tree stumps in young to mature forests ^[1].
• Colony Type: Temporary social parasite, queens must invade host Lasius colonies (L. latipes, L. americanus, and related species) to found new colonies. Queens kill the host queen and use host workers to raise their first brood ^[1][2].
  • Colony: Monogyne, Polygyne
  • Queen: Socially parasitic, Temporary parasitic
• Size & Growth:
  • Queen: 6-7mm (HW 1.22-1.38mm, AL 2.08-2.82mm)
  • Worker: 3-5mm ^[3][4]
  • Colony: Can grow to enormous size, spreading over wide areas in forest habitats ^[1]
  • Growth: Moderate
  • Development: Unknown, direct development data not available. Based on related Lasius species, expect 6-10 weeks at optimal temperature (Queens develop slowly, this is the latest developing of all five Acanthomyops species ^[5]. It takes 6 weeks to 2 months from first appearance of queen larvae to adult queens in the nest ^[1].)
• Antkeeping:
  • Temperature: Keep at 20-24°C. Nuptial flights occur at lower temperatures than other Acanthomyops species, as low as 17.8-21.1°C ^[5]. Avoid overheating.
  • Humidity: Moderate to high, this species is more moisture-tolerant than related species like L. latipes ^[5]. Keep nest substrate moderately moist but not waterlogged.
  • Diapause: Yes, requires winter hibernation. In the wild, dealate queens overwinter under rocks or wood and enter host colonies in spring ^[1]. Provide 3-4 months at 5-10°C.
  • Nesting: Subterranean nester. In captivity, use a test tube setup for founding queens, then transition to a naturalistic or Y-tong nest with moist substrate. Provide deep soil chambers or a substrate layer for their subterranean habits.
• Behavior: Generally docile and non-aggressive. Workers are generalist predators and also farm honeydew from root-feeding mealy-bugs and aphids. They are subterranean and rarely seen foraging in the open. Escape risk is moderate, standard test tube barriers are usually sufficient for workers of this size.
• Common Issues: founding queens have extremely high mortality, they must successfully invade a host colony to survive, host colony acceptance is uncertain, not all invasions succeed, colonies grow very slowly due to the parasitic founding method, queens may be rejected or killed by host colonies, requires careful host colony matching, need appropriate Lasius host species

Colony Founding - The Parasitic Lifestyle

Lasius claviger is a temporary social parasite, meaning queens cannot found colonies independently like most ants. Instead, a newly mated queen must locate and infiltrate an established colony of another Lasius species (primarily L. latipes, L. americanus, or related species). She enters the host nest, kills the resident queen, and uses the host workers to raise her first brood. This process is challenging to replicate in captivity and accounts for the species' difficulty rating. In the wild, dealate queens mate in late September to October, then overwinter alone under rocks or wood before emerging in spring to seek host colonies ^[1][2]. Host colonies tend to accept the parasitic gynes, which improves success chances compared to some other parasitic species ^[2].

Feeding and Diet

Workers are generalist predators that hunt small invertebrates, but they also maintain a strong mutualistic relationship with aphids. Lasius claviger is an obligate tender of root-feeding aphids, particularly Prociphilus species, which they farm in subterranean nests ^[6]. They also feed on honeydew secreted by mealy-bugs. In captivity, offer a varied diet including sugar water or honey as an energy source, small live prey like fruit flies or pinhead crickets for protein, and occasional offerings of aphid honeydew or sugar sources. Protein should be offered 2-3 times per week, with sugar water available constantly.

Temperature and Seasonal Care

This species prefers cooler temperatures than many ants, nuptial flights occur at surprisingly low temperatures of 17.8-21.1°C, which is lower than other Acanthomyops species ^[5]. Keep the nest at room temperature (20-24°C) and avoid excessive heat. As a temperate species, they require a winter diapause period of 3-4 months at 5-10°C to trigger proper reproductive cycling. The annual sexual cycle begins in June with queen larvae appearing, developing to adulthood over 6 weeks to 2 months. Adult alates are present by August, with nuptial flights occurring from September through November, very late in the season compared to most ants ^[1].

Nesting Preferences

In the wild, Lasius claviger is a subterranean species that nests in soil under stones and in well-decayed tree stumps in forested areas. They show remarkable versatility in nesting habits, in deep woods they associate with logs and stumps, in open woods they use stones and logs, and in open fields they often create small mounds without cover. Some mounds can reach 3 feet in diameter and 2-4 inches high. They are more moisture-tolerant than related species like L. latipes ^[5]. In captivity, provide a nest with deep, moist substrate chambers. A Y-tong or plaster nest with a substrate layer works well, or a naturalistic setup with flat stones over moist soil.

Behavior and Temperament

This is a docile, non-aggressive species that spends most of its time underground. Workers are generalist predators but are not particularly aggressive toward intruders. They have a distinctive lemon or citronella scent when disturbed, which serves as an alarm-defense mechanism ^[7]. Colonies can become massive in the wild, spreading over wide areas in forest habitats. They are hypogaeic (ground-dwelling) and rarely venture into the open. Workers are relatively long-lived compared to some other ant species, which helps colonies persist through the slow initial growth phase during parasitic founding.

Frequently Asked Questions

References