Ants and Termites
Red Mound Ants
Formica
species
Description
Worker 1/8-1/2" (3-12 mm). Rusty red
to brownish black or black. "Waist" (pedicel) between thorax and
abdomen 1-segmented.
Warning
These ants have strong biting jaws, they
also smear the bitten area with formic acid which increases the
degree of irritation they cause.
Food
Honeydew from aphids, nectar from flowers,
and other insects.
Life Cycle
Nests are often constructed close to
small trees and shrubs. Entranceways are littered with pine needles,
leaf fragments, and bits of stems. Queen tends 1st brood, then
female workers care for eggs and young, feeding queen regurgitated
food.
Habitat
Wooded slopes at high
elevations.
Range
Utah and Nevada to mountains of California,
north to British Columbia and Alberta.
Discussion
Workers often stay near aphids or
transport them to more convenient sites, where honeydew can be
collected repeatedly. The Allegheny Mound Ant (
F.
exsectoides), same size, is rusty red on its head and thorax,
blackish brown on the legs and abdomen. It occurs throughout the
eastern United States and adjacent areas of Canada, west to
Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, and New
Mexico.
Ants and Termites