Investigation of some factors affecting habitat selection and nest size of Formica rufa

•Formica rufa is a species of insect that predominantly inhabits forest ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate the impact of various stand, topographic, and climatic factors on the habitat preferences of Formica rufa.•Ten variables were considered in three major categories: productivity, stand structure, crown closure, site class, age class, elevation, slope, aspect, temperature, and precipitation.•Furthermore, it was determined that various factors such as crown closure, site class, age class, productivity, and elevation exhibited a statistically significant impact on the nest volumes.