Discover the 7 Largest Ants Crawling Around England

Ants are common eusocial insects and members of the Formicidae family. Compared to other insects, ants are highly intelligent. They can communicate with each other and create colonies that function as superorganisms. Recent scientific studies estimate there are approximately 20 quadrillion ants on the planet. Read on to discover the seven largest ants crawling around England. 

7. Yellow Meadow Ant

The yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus) is, as its name suggests, yellow or brown-yellow, with queens usually being dark brown or orange. Typically found across the UK, Central Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia, these ants can grow up to 0.2 inches long, with their queen approaching lengths of 0.35 inches. The yellow meadow ant is commonly kept by ant enthusiasts and poses no threat to humans, as it cannot bite or sting. They typically live underground in locations like meadows, lawns, gardens, and grassy areas.

6. Blood Red Ant

The blood red ant (Formica sanguinea) is one of the largest ants in all of the UK, and is also found in Europe and parts of Asia, including Russia and China. This ant, which has a bright red head and legs with a black body, can grow up to about 0.35 inches. These ants secrete formic acid, which they use to kill their prey. t is the formic acid that is responsible for the burning and itching sensations people experience when bitten by these ants. Blood-red ants live in woodland areas and often take over other ants’ nests through invasion. 

5. Red Wood Ant 

The red wood ant (Formica rufa), also called the Southern wood ant, is found in both the UK and America. These ants have orange and black bodies that are 0.17 to 0.35 inches long. Red wood ant queens are nearly 0.5 inches long. Most nests have multiple queens, unlike many other ant species that typically have only one. A typical Southern wood ant nest can have tens of thousands, and sometimes over 100,000, workers and multiple queens.

Red wood ants typically prefer woodlands and parklands. Similar to the blood red ant, they spray formic acid onto predators to protect themselves. These ants eat small beetles and other insects that could otherwise harm woodland environments.

4. Black Garden Ant

The common black garden ant (Lasius niger) crawls around all of Europe as well as in parts of North America, South America, Asia, and Australasia. Though they’re not dangerous, they can be quite large, with queens growing up to 0.47 inches long. Workers are significantly smaller, reaching lengths of only 0.2 inches. Because they are so common and reproduce easily, these black ants often infest homes. Most often, they’ll invade kitchens searching for food sources.

3. Hairy Wood Ant 

The hairy wood ant (Formica lugubris) is commonly found in forestland. Workers can grow up to 0.47 inches long and have hairs near their eyes, giving them their name. These ants are known to be carnivores and feast on animals.

Hairy wood ants have extremely large colonies with multiple queens. When building nests, they emit a distinctive odor that serves as a warning when another species enters the nest.

2. Flying Ant 

Flying ants (alates), are mature winged ants that seemingly appear out of thin air and cover the sky every summer across the UK. In fact, these ants even have their own day in the UK called Flying Ant Day, the day when winged ants take flight. This typically takes place from late June through August, often coinciding with hot and humid weather.

These flying ants can grow up to 0.6 inches long and swarm urban areas in England and the UK. When they resurface, they begin to establish new colonies and can be aggressive in their flying behavior. As a result, people often find themselves ducking and swatting at these ants while outdoors.

1. Carpenter Ant

The carpenter ants (Camponotus ligniperda) of England are extremely large, with queens approaching 1 inch long and workers reaching 0.6 inches in length. Not only are they the largest ant in England, but Camponotus ligniperda is considered the largest native ant species in Europe. These black ants are found both indoors and outdoors.