Southern wood ant  (Formica rufa)

The southern wood ant can generally be distinguished from similar wood ants by the fact that it lacks a fringe of hairs on the eyes and the rear margin of the head (5). The wood ants are the largest of the British ants; and all are generally reddish in colour (5). In contrast to workers, reproductive females (queens) and males have well-developed thoraxes and wings that separate from the body after mating. Furthermore, males have obvious sex organs that protrude from the abdomen (5).