Rare ants stolen from England’s last remaining colony in Devon as 5,000 vanish from nature reserve

The nature reserve is the last wild home of the species in England.

A single nest can hold a colony of 1,000 to 5,000 ants, along with one or more breeding queens that can live up to 25 years.

Conservation researchers discovered the theft during regular checks at known nest sites in mid-October.

Instead of finding a colony, however, the conservationists found a hole and clear signs of digging with a spade.

Chudleigh Knighton Heath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Narrow-headed ants are a Section 41 species, Nationally Rare, and Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of species.

Named for its distinctive “pinched” head, the species was once much more widespread, but it has dwindled over the past 100 years as its favoured heathland homes gave way to building development and agricultural change.

The species builds small, distinctive mounded nests topped with a thatch of nibbled grass or heather fragments, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

The ants prey upon many types of invertebrates, and forage for aphid honeydew on nearby plants.

DWT is urging anyone who has information about the theft of the rare species to come forward, describing the removal of an established nest as a “significant loss for this species”, with fewer than 150 known nests in the reserve.

Julia Balfour, from the Trust, said: “Narrow-headed Ant colonies develop slowly, and each mature nest, with its long-lived queens, represents many years of growth that cannot quickly be replaced.

“This is a crime every bit as serious as illegal raids on wild bird eggs.

“It shows the pressures that our nature and wild places are under.”

She added: “This is the last population of narrow-headed ants in England, and losing even one colony sets back years of careful work by our staff, volunteers and partners.”

The Government supported local conservation efforts to secure the species’ future earlier this year.

In September, wildlife trust chiefs announced plans to improve the species’ heathland homes in a three-year collaboration with invertebrate conservation charity Buglife, after securing more than £200,000 from the Government.

The shocking theft has now been reported to Devon and Cornwall police.

Pc Lucy Wyatt, from Devon and Cornwall Police, added: “Sites of Special Scientific Interest are legally protected, and it is a criminal offence for any person to intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy, or disturb the protected area.”

The force urges members of the public to report information about the theft through its website.