Wood ants (Formica ulkei)

Formica ulkei · Formica
Wood ants (Formica ulkei). Recorded flying from July through August. Bright orange-red head, orange-red mesosoma, dark brown to black gaster. Winged alate with a bright orange-red head/mesosoma sharply contrasting a dark blackish-brown gaster. Recorded near 26 of the 190 locations Dealate tracks.

When do wood ants fly?

Recorded flying from July through August.

Flight calendar

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Queen appearance

Bright orange-red head, orange-red mesosoma, dark brown to black gaster. Winged alate with a bright orange-red head/mesosoma sharply contrasting a dark blackish-brown gaster.
fast, erratic darting runner typical of Formica wood ants
Founding care
Socially parasitic: she cannot found a colony alone. Without a host colony's workers to rear her first brood there is nothing for good husbandry to save.
Needs a winter diapause: a cool, dark rest period each year.
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Care data from antkeeping.info (CC BY 4.0).

Habitat

Soil · also thatched mound · typical for this genus
After a flight, watch bare or grassy ground for wingless queens. Scan open ground near woodland for wandering queens and thatch mounds.

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