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Species & care sheets

European Acorn Ant

Temnothorax nylanderi · มดโอ๊กยุโรป

DifficultyModerateHow often it is foundพบได้ทั่วไปDefencesPeaceful

A tiny European ant that nests inside fallen acorns or hollow twigs. Exceptionally peaceful and avoids conflict with other ants. Needs annual winter hibernation.

อยู่ในสกุลย่อย Temnothorax

Overview

Temperature

22-26°C (พักตัวหนาว 7-11°C ปลายต.ค.-มี.ค.)

Humidity

60-70%

Diet

Sugar · Insects

Nest type

acorn / Wood / Acrylic / 3d-printed / Ytong

Growth

Slow

Colony size

50-150 ตัว

Difficulty — เลี้ยงง่ายมาก ขนาดรังเล็ก ใช้พื้นที่น้อย ไม่ก้าวร้าว และอดทนสูง
Colony size — จำกัดโดยธรรมชาติ รังขนาดใหญ่เต็มที่มักมีมดงานไม่เกิน 300 ตัว
How often it is found — มดที่มีข้อมูลบันทึกพบมากที่สุดในกลุ่ม เจอได้บ่อยตามธรรมชาติ · Records in Thailand 0 · Records worldwide 8,217 · Hobbyist market: Not listed

Derived from record counts in global databases (GBIF · AntWeb · iNaturalist), not from how common the ant is in Thailand. — ไม่สามารถประเมินได้ — ไม่มีข้อมูลพิสัยการแพร่กระจายจาก AntWiki

What it eats

SugarsProteinSeedsFungus

Care sheet in progressData confidence: สูง

Size

Body length by caste, and the ants drawn to scale on a credit card

Queen

3.5-4.5 mm

Worker

2.3-3.2 mm

Actual size against a credit card

Ants are drawn to scale on a standard card (85.6 × 54 mm) — hold a real card against the screen and move the slider until the card matches, and the ants are then life-size.

ANTVERSE

Scale card · 85.6 × 54 mm

Worker
~2.8 mm

Queen
~4 mm

Calibrate card width324 px

Behaviour & care

Defences

Peaceful

Rarely attacks — comfortable to keep close.

Stings

Bites

Colony profile

Queens

Single queen (monogyne)

Founding

Claustral

Diapause

Required

Growth

Slow

In depth

ทั้งประชากรรังของมดชนิดนี้ ทั้งนางพญา มดงาน และตัวอ่อน สามารถอาศัยอยู่ร่วมกันภายในผลโอ๊กแห้งเพียงผลเดียวได้อย่างสมบูรณ์

Appearance

Temnothorax nylanderi is a tiny ant species (workers approx. 2.3 - 3.2 mm) featuring a brownish-yellow color, distinct propodeum spines, and slow, deliberate movements.

Where it lives

Widespread throughout European deciduous forests, typically nesting in small natural cavities such as hollow acorns, fallen twigs, or under tree bark.

Found in

Europe

Behaviour

Highly peaceful and non-aggressive, workers usually forage individually. Their nest-selection and decision-making behavior during colony relocation are widely studied by scientists.

Keeping it

Extremely easy to keep, requiring very small micro-formicariums or compact 3D/acrylic setups. They feed on liquid sugars and small feeder insects, but require a winter diapause (hibernation) period.

Nest type

acornWoodAcrylic3d-printedYtong

Where the difficulty is

Their minute size requires escape-proof setups with tight seams. Keepers in tropical climates must provide artificial winter cooling for successful long-term diapause.

Fun fact

Often referred to as the "Acorn Ant" due to its remarkable habit of occupying fallen acorns on the forest floor.

Gallery

Live photographs are by iNaturalist observers under CC BY-NC — every one carries its credit.

Sources

The Thai text is written from the facts in these sources, not copied from them. · Data confidence: สูง

This page is husbandry information only — live ants aren't sold on the site, for the animals' safety in transit.