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The garden · Bees, wasps and ants
Black garden ant
Lasius niger
Small, dark brown-black ants that march in lines between their nest and anything sweet.
- Size
- Workers 3 to 5mm long
- Look for them
- March to October
- Where
- Under paving, in lawns and along paths in every town and village
My spotter's list
March after you in a line. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about ants
TrailFollow the scent
A worker that finds food lays a scent trail home. The others follow it, which is why ants walk in lines.
FarmThey keep livestock
Ants guard greenfly from ladybirds and stroke them to get a drop of sweet honeydew in return.
FlyingFlying ant day
On a warm, still day in July or August, winged queens and males pour out of nests all over a district at once.
QueenA long reign
A queen black ant can live for fifteen years or more, and one in a laboratory reached twenty-eight.
StrengthSmall but mighty
An ant can carry many times its own weight.
FamilyRelatives of bees
Ants belong to the same great group of insects as bees and wasps.
The real thing
Photos of ants
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot them
Lift a flat stone on a warm day and you may see workers rushing white cocoons underground. Put it back gently.
Lend a handHow to help
Ants tidy up dead insects and air the soil. If they come indoors, clear up the crumbs and block the gap: there is no need to wipe out the nest.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
The garden
Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream bugs live on their own page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond and stream
The log pile
After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
