Wood Ant

Name: Wood Ant

Scientific name: Formica spp

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 60

What are nature stars?

About: Wood Ants are aggressive predators, equiped with large biting jaws and able to spray formic acid in defence. They feed on a wide variety of invertebrates, which they collect from the area surrounding their colony. Wood Ants build large nests out of soil, twigs, leaves and pine needles. They can be found in heathland, moorland and woodland throughout Britain.

How to identify: Wood ants are large ants, up to 1cm long, with an orange and black body. There are several species of wood ants in the UK which can be very difficult to tell apart.

Where: Widespread

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 50
• Agility: 50
• Rarity: 40
• Cute factor: 10
• Traveller: 20

Fantastic fact: Wood Ant colonies can sometimes number up to half a million individuals!

Photograph credit: Nic Relton