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Wood Ant Nursery

 This picture shows the wood ants hatchery that I discovered when I was looking under logs and such for wildlife earlier in the month.These are Southern Wood Ants, Formica Rufa. This wood ant is concentrated in southeast England. It likes sunny glades rather than dense forest. They are large wood ants and are identifiable by the absence of hairs around the fringe of their head.

tsbl2000
Anonymous
  • over 8 years ago

    The ants aren't Formica rufa wood ants though, but a very interesting related species, F. sanguinea, which is a "slavemaking" ant, and much redder than F. rufa. It raids the nests of the Large Black Ant F. fusca (and relatives) to steal their young and raise them as auxiliary workers. Some of these "slaves" are visible in your photo, tending pupae. The raids can be quite spectacular affairs, if you're lucky enough to witness one. It is mostly found on the heaths of S. England (inc Kent) and the Scottish Highlands.