Distribution
Populations from North America have been split off as a separate species, "Formica subaenescens". "F. fusca" nests are usually found in rotten tree stumps or under stones in clearcut areas and along woodland borders and hedgerows.
Behavior
Colonies are facultatively polygynous; though the queens coexist amicably, contribution to the brood tends to be unequal. Nests are usually small, containing 500–2,000 workers. The workers are large, at 8–10 millimetres long, and fast moving, though timid. To ensure that non-nest mate eggs are not reared, these workers will engage in a process known as worker policing.Alate forms are produced in June/July and nuptial flights are in July/August.
A recent study has found evidence of nepotism in "F. fusca", in contrast with previous experiments with other ant species; this conclusion has been challenged, however, on the grounds that the observed pattern may result from differences in egg viability.
Habitat
"F. fusca" feeds on small insects such as codling moth larvae, aphid honeydew and extrafloral nectaries.Workers have been found to have a very high resistance to some pathogens and it is thought this may be due to "F. fusca" utilising the antibiotic properties of their formic acid, additional to the use of their metapleural gland.
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