Country intro
Myrmica Rubra
Saw this little lady and thought I'd get a snap of her. She was happy sitting on my arm for the photo shoot. Unfortunately you cannot see it in this photo, in common with all ants that have a 2-segmented waist, these ants have a sting.
The sting is less painful than a nettle (she stung me as I tried moving her off my arm) although their cousins "Manica Rubida" are larger and have a more potent sting - more akin to a wasp apparently. They come from Southern Europe. This one was found in my back garden :)
''Myrmica rubra'', also known as the European fire ant or common red ant, is a species of ant of the genus ''Myrmica'', found all over Europe and in some parts of North America and Asia. They are mainly red in colour, with slightly darker pigmentation on the head. The ants live under stones, fallen trees, and in soil. They are aggressive ants, often attacking rather than running away, and are equipped with a stinger, though lack the ability to spray formic acid like the genus ''Formica''.
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