This is one of a series of caches planned along the Epping Forest Oak Trail, themed around the oak tree and its ecology. The Oak Trail is a seven mile route that starts and ends at Theydon Bois Underground station. It can also be reached from Epping Underground station or several of the Forest car parks. This series is placed with kind permission from the City of London Open Spaces department. Many thanks for supporting our hobby.
The southern wood ant, Formica rufa, is the UK's largest ant species. The queen can measure up to 12mm in length and has a brownish-black head and abdomen and reddish legs. These ants live in woodlands, both preying on other insects, biting their prey with their strong mandibles and spraying them with formic acid, and also farming aphids for their honeydew, the sticky substance they secrete. The aphids benefit from the ants' presence as they are protected from other predators. Southern wood ants and aphids are commonly found in oak trees.
This ant cache is much larger and is skulking low, using its magnet to keep it safe. The track where it is placed travels through the buffer lands of Epping Forest, owned by the Corporation of London, behind the two farms of Great and LIttle Gregories. Great Gregories homes the Epping Forest long horn over winter, with calves in spring.
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