Red Wood Ant
Formica rufa
Near threatenedPhoto: Richard Bartz, Munich Makro Freak · CC BY-SA 2.5
Insectinsectivore
The red wood ant is a striking insect found across Eurasia, from Scandinavia to Siberia. Known for its reddish head and thorax, it builds large colonies and defends itself by spraying formic acid. These ants rely heavily on honeydew from aphids for food.
- Workers range in size from 4.5 to 9 millimeters.
- They can spray formic acid from their abdomens as defense.
- Some colonies have multiple queens and interconnected nests.
ForestEuropeAsia
Read more on WikipediaAt a glance
- Classification
- Insect
- Scientific name
- Formica rufa
- Habitat
- Forest
- Regions in this directory
- Europe, Asia
- Diet
- insectivore
- Relative size
- small
- IUCN Red List
- Near Threatened (NT)
