Ants
Ants are probably the most common insect found in pine forests. The sometimes very large nests of the red and bald-backed wood ant are particularly noticeable, which in the Senne are mainly built from the needles of the forest pine. For this, the forest ants look for sunny spots in the forest or at the edges of the forest. The nests, sometimes over 1 metre high, are often created around tree stumps which gives them additional stability. The ants hibernate in the underground part of the nest.
An anthill consists of numerous corridors and chambers. The corridors are laid out in such a way that no water can penetrate. The chambers are used for laying eggs, for rearing the brood and for storage. Well over a million ants can live in a large anthill. Ant colonies have a very large need for food to raise their larvae, which is largely covered by invertebrates. They therefore play a major role in biological pest control in the forest. Damage to the anthill is closed again as quickly as possible. Today these are less caused by curious people than by natural enemies of ants, e.g. black woodpeckers. Especially in winter they like to rummage through anthills for food.
