The Mound Ant builds large, domed mounds of vegetation material in European and North American boreal forests, housing polydomous supercolonies of millions of workers across multiple connected nests. A mature mound acts as a solar-heated incubator for brood. Workers harvest enormous quantities of aphid honeydew and are important predators of forest pests.
Habitat
Boreal and mixed forests with conifers and birch
Diet
Adults: honeydew from aphids, insects, and plant secretions
How common
Common
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5,300+species
63national parks
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