The Formics, also known as Buggers, are a fictional insectoid alien species from the Ender's Game series of science fiction novels by Orson Scott Card.
The term "Formic" is derived from formica, the Latin word for ant. It can also be understood to represent that which is formless until given a shape. The term "Bugger" is a pejorative one used by humans in expressing their fear of the unknown Formics, who are to them the very embodiment of terror.
The Formic species consists of hive-minded colonies that are philotically directed by queens. As evidenced in Mazer Rackham's victory in the Second Invasion, if a queen dies, all the drones under her control lose their intelligence and ability to function immediately. However, in Xenocide, The Hive Queen has a memory that associates with the word rogue, most likely meaning that 'drones' have some degree of sentience and can escape the influence of a queen. Formic queens communicate instantaneously via philotic connections and can even do so with other species, although this is more difficult. Formics live in vast underground colonies that are pitch black and confusing for humans to navigate, leading to the assumption that Formics make use of sensory apparatus different from that of humans (i.e. other than the range of the electromagnetic spectrum visible to humans). There are other conflicting theories, however; in the first novel they were said to have artificial lighting. In Xenocide, Ender claims they view things via heat signature.
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