<p>Also known as the southern wood ant, this subspecies of wood ants are aggressive, active, and large. The wood ant queens are typically 12–15 mm in size and can live up to 15 years. Worker ants, on the other hand, are slightly smaller at 8–10 mm and have a lifespan of anywhere between a few weeks to seven years depending on whether they’re male or female (males die soon after mating).</p>
<p>Capable of producing formic acid in their abdomens, red wood ants can eject it up to a few feet away when threatened by predators. Their nests are often conspicuous mounds of grass, twigs, or conifer needles, often built against a rotting tree stump in an area that the sunlight can easily reach. Wood ants live in large colonies that may have 100,000 to 400,000 workers and 100 queens. Red wood ants are very territorial, and often attack and remove other ant species from the area.</p>
<p>Capable of producing formic acid in their abdomens, red wood ants can eject it up to a few feet away when threatened by predators. Their nests are usually conspicuous mounds of grass, twigs, or conifer needles, often built against a rotting tree stump in an area that the sunlight can easily reach. Wood ants live in large colonies that may have 100,000 to 400,000 workers and 100 queens. Red wood ants are very territorial, and known to attack and remove other ant species from the area.</p>
<p>Red wood worker ants forage up to 50 meters from their nest to collect a natural resin found dripping from pine trees. In a behavior unique to wood ants, individual ants walk over the resin to disinfect themselves from bacteria and fungi. Additionally, they also eat aphid honeydew, small insects, and arachnids. Red wood ants are commonly used in forestry and often introduced into an area as a form of pest management.</p>
kristen@oreilly.com
2 years ago