Hairy Wood Ant vs Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hairy Wood Ant Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid
Scientific Name Formica lugubris Adelges cooleyi
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Formicidae Adelgidae
Size 4-8 mm 0.5-1 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Carrion Feeders Gall Makers
Regions Europe, Northern Asia North America, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Hairy Wood Ant

A large mound-building ant of upland coniferous forests with noticeably hairy body surfaces. It forms polydomous colonies with multiple interconnected nests.

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Did You Know?

A supercolony in the Swiss Jura mountains contained over 1,200 interconnected nests spanning 70 hectares.

Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid

A gall-forming adelgid that alternates between spruce and Douglas-fir. Cone-shaped galls on spruce tips are its most recognizable sign.

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Did You Know?

The pineapple-shaped galls it forms on spruce tips are often mistaken for small cones.