---
title: "Black Garden Ant"
description: "Lasius niger — Insects & spiders. 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."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/black-garden-ant
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Black Garden Ant

> Lasius niger — Insects & spiders. 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.

- Scientific name: *Lasius niger*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 11723
- Wikidata: [Q839823](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q839823)
- iNaturalist taxon: [55213](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55213)

## Names

- en: Black Garden Ant
- de: Schwarze Wegameise
- es: Hormiga Negra de Jardín
- fr: Fourmi noire des jardins
- nl: Zwartbruine wegmier
- pl: Hurtnica pospolita

## Countries with the most observations

RU (186), CA (170), HU (162), DE (138), GB (123), BE (104), NL (104), FR (83), HR (77), PL (70), DK (61), AT (51)

## Summary

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…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_garden_ant

## Photo

![Black Garden Ant](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/black-garden-ant/medium.jpg)

Photo: akimuzuk · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/217312309

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/black-garden-ant?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).