European wood ants colonize forest after wildfire

Ant-maps | Wildfires are an important factor in the distribution of wood ants (Formica rufa group). According to Red wood ants in North America (PDF) did wildfires play an important role in North America. In this region wildfires are a lot more common than in Europe, so this could effect the spread through the continent. (More about this) But wildfires do not only have negative effects:

Negative effects:

* Fire destroys nests
* Fire destroys the material used to build nests, but this has only a short term effect

Positive effects:

* Fire destroys vegetation so that new forest edges are created. These edges have the best conditions for new nests.

On may 24th 2008 I checked the effect from wildfires to wood ants. I revisited the Maalbeek (Tegelse Heide site) where the fire above took place. I was wondered about the speed nature recovers. But also about the

Formica polyctena I found at open places, created by the fire. There were three small Formica polyctena nests on the east-edge of the forrest. Prooving that wood ants do colonize burned sites after one year.

Photo left: wood ants living in a small hole nest to a burned piece of wood. (Tegelse Heide nest nr. 5)

Other wood ant observations at this place: Nest 6, nest 7 and nest 8