Crematogaster scutellaris

Description:

I observed this colony in a vinyard in Tuscany, Italy.The colony is spread for 120m (393ft) in length, the nests are inside dead parts of old vines (vitis vinifera) and wood beams, during the day they move along the iron wires to cross the vinyard and serch for food near a stream, where umidity allow them to look after big colonies of aphids.In vinyards they are very dangerous as they protect parasites (emiptera order) and spread fungine diseases with their legs, moreover, their activity on the vine's wood is very invasive and can bring a plant to dead.Tuscany, Italy