You'll see some good sized Wood Ants nests around the forest, although this one was something else; no doubt built on a rotting stump it stood at maybe 1.2m or more high. A nest this substantial could accommodate up to 250,000 Formica rufa ants; the mound seethed and it's surrounds were alive with the distinctive red and black ants. Quite the sight. Almost immediately I was under siege from the colony's inhabitants, or at least under investigation. Consequently I took my shot and moved away; although not a threat, wood ants do secrete formic acid (the same acid which produces the sting from nettles) and can spit their acid several feet when pissed. What's really amazing is that there were a dozen or more nests of various sizes in closish proximity; there must be so many ants out there.
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