A “VERY rare” ant queen known to live in only one place in Scotland has been found in a second location.
Her colony of narrow-headed ants, which in the UK are found only in parts of Scotland and Devon, has been found on the Balmoral Estate – 10 miles from their previously only known Scottish habitat at Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority announced the “important discovery” of a “colony with a queen breeding in a new location” on Thursday.
Park authority conservation officer Hayley Wiswell, who is leading a project to secure the future of the ants, said: “Despite their small size these ants are real heavyweights in nature, helping to shape our woodlands into healthy, functioning habitats for a range of other species.
"This is such an important discovery as it strengthens our understanding that this species was once much more widespread and adds weight to our plans to re-establish thriving colonies in Deeside.”
The narrow-headed ant is named for the deep notch they have in the back of the head. The Wildlife Trusts describes them as "a very rare ant, once found on heathland across southern England but now restricted to Scotland and Devon".
"It constructs distinctive thatched nests in open areas at the edges of scrub, and forages for aphid honeydew on nearby plants," the trusts add.
The project at Mar Lodge Estate is focused on captive breeding, where queens and workers are collected and bred in “starter nests” in a climatically controlled facility until they are self-sufficient enough to survive in the wild.
Once established they are planted back in suitable habitat. With this new discovery, nests could also be put into Balmoral to support the newly discovered colony, the park authority said.
Shaila Rao, National Trust for Scotland’s conservation manager at Mar Lodge Estate, was called to Balmoral to verify the discovery.
She said: “I was delighted to confirm that it was a colony of narrow-headed ants. It is great to know that Mar Lodge Estate is not the only site in Deeside, which should increase our chances of securing their survival here into the future.
"Hopefully more nests will be found at Balmoral and we look forward to bringing them into ongoing conservation work for narrow-headed ants.”
