How formic acid is produced in ants?

Venom is the defense of choice for many ants . It is injected from an ovipositor that has been evolutionarily modified into a stinging apparatus. These ants release a complex venom mixture that can include histamine. Within the Formicinae subfamily, the stinger has been lost and instead the poison gland forcibly ejects the fluid of choice, formic acid. Some carpenter ants also have mandibular glands that extend throughout their bodies. When these are mechanically irritated, the ant forcibly commits suicide and by exploding, spilling out a sticky, entangling substance.