The European red wood ant (Formica polyctena) s similar to the Red wood ant in many ways except for the fact that it does not have tiny protruding hairs on its torso and husk. Worker ants can be up to 9 mm in size, and queens up to 12 mm. Red ant colonies are usually polygamous, with up to several thousand queens and… over a million worker ants!

Be cautious, these ants are extremely predatory in nature as they hunt their prey both on the ground and in tree crowns. They feed on insects, arachnids and dead animals.

European Red wood ants can build gigantic ant hills, typically around rotting tree stumps, using pine needles, soil and twigs. These ant hills can be up to 2m tall and 3 m wide! You can find these ants in dry coniferous and deciduous forests as well as in wet mixed forests.

Ant expert!

Take a close look at our model of the European Red wood ant. Can you spot the difference between it and the Red wood ant?

Psst!

In Poland, European Red wood ants are a partially protected species.