This group contains the mound-building species of Formica commonly termed "wood ants" or "thatch-mound ants", which build prominent nests consisting of a mound of grass, litter, or conifer needles.

This particular group can inhabit open deciduous woodlands, dense pine forests, and even moorland.

They can produce formic acid in their abdomens and eject it 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in the air when threatened.

[citation needed] The genetic relationships in F. rufa group colonies can be complex.

Some species in the F. rufa group sometimes form enormous "supercolonies" consisting of hundreds or thousands of nests.