Black garden ant

  • Latin name: Lasius Niger
  • Color: Black
  • Number of queens: One
  • Size: 3-5 mm
  • Habitat: Both inside and outside, often under rocks.
  • Colony size: 4000-50000 ants
  • Diet: Insects, sugary food, nectar, aphid produce.
  • Queen lifespan: 15 years
  • Worker lifespan: 4 years

The black garden ant is the most common ant in Iceland. The ant is known to have lived in Iceland since 1938 but has been rapidly increasing in number  recently. This species is the only one that can survive in the Icelandic nature without human shelter.