Today, I will be teaching you about the Field ant (Formica). Formica is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. Field ants measure between 3mm and 10mm large. But some other members of the Formica species tend to be 4mm to 8mm large. As the name wood ant implies, many Formica species live in wooded areas where no shortage of material exists with which they can thatch their mounds. However, sunlight is very important to most Formica species, and colonies rarely survive for any considerable period in deeply shaded, dense woodland. That means that it’s difficult for the Formica species to survive, even in their own habitat. A few Formica species may be found in a wide range of habitats from cities, to seasides, to grasslands, to swamps, and to forests of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. As it says earlier in the text, Field ants live in wooded areas where there is plenty of material to make their nests. The biotic factors are the ants themselves, the trees and plants where the Field ants live and make their nests, and the multiple other insects. The abiotic factors include the terrain, the amount of sunlight and how much sunlight the ants need. Here is one positive effect Field ants have. Mound-building, forest-dwelling Formica species such as F. rufa often have a considerable effect on their environments. They maintain large populations of aphids on the secretions of which they feed, and which the ants defend from other predators. They also prey on other insects. In fact in many countries they are introduced in forests to control tree pests, such as swains jack pine sawfly and eastern tent caterpillars in North America. The effects of mound-building grassland species such as F. montana are not well-studied, but their local abundance, conspicuous mound-building and very frequent association with aphids and membracids points to a comparably important ecological role. Here’s one negative effect that Field ants cause. Some species of field ants can kill herbaceous and woody plants that shade their mounds by injecting formic acid into the plants’ roots. The way Field ants get their food, is by hunting, or by farming aphids. Field ants eat honeydew from aphids, and mealybugs. They also eat other insects and some Field ants and other members of the Formica family are even attracted to meat. No one really knows what food is toxic or deadly to Field ants. The size of a field ant’s colony/mound is roughly 3 to 4 feet wide, 2 feet tall, and 2 to 3 feet deep. Many of the roles include: Worker ants, Queen ant, and a lot of other obvious roles. Field ants measure between 4mm to 8mm in size. Male and Female ants have no size difference. Field ants interact with other organisms by controlling them, farming them, and or protecting them. For example, Field ants (Formica) protect aphids for honeydew. So, that’s most of the information that you need to know about Field ants, also known as Formica.