Wood Ants and Formica sanguinea
Some of the most conspicuous ants in Baden-Wuerttemberg are the red-and-black Formicas, commonly called Waldameisen, or Wood Ants. These include the Formica rufa group, F. exsecta, and F. sanguinea...
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For the 4th of July weekend I went to the French Alps with my sister and her family. My brother-in-law wanted to ride some of the famous climbs from the Tour de France in years past, such as l'Alpe...
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I don't suppose you saw any evidence that some spruces had been cut down recently in those open areas. If not, it is especially interesting that they would go to such effort to haul those needles in...
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I saw no evidence of recent cutting of spruces. The nest in the closeup photos was not the same as the nests in the photos where you see the back of my nephew's head, but like those nests, they were a...
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Today Fritz and I headed to a different area for our weekend walk in the woods. There we encountered a cluster of 16 Formica rufa nests in an area barely longer than a football field. Nests 25, 26,...
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This is probably my favorite thread here. Great photos and great filed observations. Are you doing this as part of a scientific research?
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I am doing this as a matter of personal interest. I am not a professional scientist. Of course you don't have to be a professional to do science any more than you have to be a professional to play...
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djecko wrote: This is probably my favorite thread here. Great photos and great filed observations. Are you doing this as part of a scientific research? Don't forget to give him kudos for this quality...
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On Saturday 4 June, Fritz and I went on a walk through open farmland instead of the usual forests. On the edge of a farm road, next to an isolated stand of small trees and thick bushes, I found a...
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Harpegnathos wrote:As an exception, I saw one nest that appeared to have few or no conifer needles (no photo, it was raining again). The nearest trees were more than 50 meters distant. Grass was...
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MatthewRMcDishwash wrote: If a mound is made of significantly higher percentage of conifer needles, the alkalinity seeping out of the needles might not allow the grass to grow. The ants might prefer...
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I agree. Some type of decay is still going on inside there, and it is likely fungal in nature. The alkaline pH supplied by conifer needles might even be preferred by their fungus of choice. Or...
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Nice pictures! Bad that I found this thread only today. Formica pratensis is a "special" member of the wood ants, Formica s.str., because they normally do not live in forests, they prefer open...
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Thank you for that information, PHiL. I spend much more of my time in the forests than in the open fields, which may be why I have not seen Formica pratensis very often. In fact, I don't recall...
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On my daily commute I pass several Formica rufa mounds. I took some photos with my cell phone, which is a poor camera but one I happen to carry with me. This is the largest mound along the...
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Harpegnathos wrote: On Saturday 4 June, Fritz and I went on a walk through open farmland instead of the usual forests. On the edge of a farm road, next to an isolated stand of small trees and thick...
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A poor camera? The last one is great. The all are, in fact.
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Turtleguy1134 wrote:If you don't mind.Please remember you can edit your own posts. Don't post so many new replies in a row.
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