Common red ant, Myrmica rubra
Common red ant, Myrmica rubra © Gary Alpert, Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license
Also known as the European fire ant, this species lives in small colonies of less than 300 workers but can have many egg-laying queens in 1 colony.
It tends to be an aggressive species, generally preferring to attack than run away when under threat. Its sting can be painful but it lacks the ability to spray formic acid like ants in the genus, or group, Formica.
This species eats aphid honeydew, small insects or other invertebrates and can be found under stones and wood in meadows and gardens.
