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Formic acid is found naturally in insects, weeds, fruits and vegetables, and forest emissions. It appears in most ants and in stingless bees of the genus Oxytrigona. [6] [7] Wood ants from the genus Formica can spray formic acid on their prey or to defend the nest.
The type species of genus Formica is the European red wood ant Formica rufa. [1] Ants of this genus tend to be between 4 and 8 mm long. [4] Ants belonging to the Formica genus possess a single knob or bump located between their thorax and abdomen. These ants primarily feed on honeydew, a sugary liquid produced by aphids.
The ants inject formic acid into surrounding plants, killing small trees and shrubs. Members of the formic acid producing genus Formica are known for their citrus taste. [2] The Allegheny mound ant's appearance is very striking: both its head and thorax are red-orange; its gaster is black-brown. The ant's colonies are complex. Several different ...
Terpenes and phenolic acids found in coniferous tree resins provide antimicrobial defense and inhibit the growth of pathogens within the nests when mixed with the ants' formic acid. [ 18 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ] Nests that have been fortified by resin have significantly less microbial diversity when compared to nests without resin.
The team also found simple molecules of formic acid, which causes the burning sensation associated with ant stings, as well as sulfur dioxide, methane and formaldehyde.
Formica sanguinea, or blood-red ant, is a species of facultative slave-maker ant in the genus Formica characterized by the ability to secrete formic acid. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan , China , the Korean Peninsula , Africa and also the United States . [ 1 ]
These ants release a complex venom mixture that can include histamine. Within the subfamily Formicinae, the stinger has been lost and instead the poison gland forcibly ejects the fluid of choice, formic acid. [8] Some carpenter ants (genus Camponotus) also have mandibular glands that extend throughout their bodies. When these are mechanically ...
However, this species can fire/shoot a formic acid spray from its abdomen when under attack by other insects or attacking other insects. When the longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis) bends its abdomen while aiming at an enemy insect, it is typically shooting its hard-to-see acid. These ants can be touched safely, similar to the ghost ants.