Worker ants are usually around 4-5mms but the Queens and males are about twice the length Description: Little black ants with winged males and Queens and wingless female workers.
Latin name: Lasius niger
Overview
These ants are our most successful and can pop up virtually anywhere, making nests under pavements, lawns and even our houses, which can sometimes make them a nuisance. Can be seen foraging around our gardens in busy little groups, often climbing plants in search of their favourite sweet food of honeydew which they ‘milk’ from aphids. Most nests have one Queen and a few thousand workers who work hard throughout spring and summer to provide for the colony. If they do a good enough job, they will produce a boom of males and mating females in late July or August who will swarm into the air to mate and create the next generation.
In the garden
Like other ants, they are useful to have in the garden as long as they don’t stray into your house. Their nest tunnels help to aerate the soil and they help clear up any dead insects which may be lying around the garden. They also provide a good source of food for garden birds, with their late summer swarms being an aerial feast for any birds who have the skill to snatch them up in flight. Unlike red ants, they have no sting and are totally harmless. Not much needs to be done to attract them to your garden. Suitable habitats are virtually everywhere but paths and patios are most likely to become their home.