1. Interspecific competition among ants is common, and so is competitive exclusion among dominant ant species. In contrast, specific associations between nonparasitic ant species are rare, especially in the temperate zones. As an exception, the subordinate ant Camponotus lateralis frequently co-occurs with the dominant Crematogaster scutellaris but rarely with other dominant ants.2. This association is one of various associations between Camponotus and Crematogaster species across the world. However, the mechanisms behind these cooccurences are largely unknown.3. In the present study, we therefore investigated the association of Ca. lateralis and Cr. scutellaris. We studied the spatial association of the nests, interspecific aggression, both species' cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, and their propensity to follow the other species' pheromone trails.4. Crematogaster scutellaris usually attacked and displaced the generally submissive Ca. lateralis, but was significantly less aggressive at jointly used trails. Camponotus nests were always in close proximity to Crematogaster nests.5. The cuticular hydrocarbons of both species consisted of alkanes with chain lengths between C21 and C35. The two species had 25 hydrocarbons in common, including mono-, di-, and tetramethyl alkanes. Despite this qualitative similarity, however, the quantitative hydrocarbon composition differed between the two species.6. Camponotus lateralis followed artificial trails containing trail pheromones of Cr. scutellaris, but the latter did not follow Ca. lateralis trail pheromones. Interspecific trail-following by Camponotus, but not vice versa, has been observed in another Camponotus-Crematogaster association and may be a more general mechanism that facilitates associations between the two ant genera.