Nest of England's rarest ant species 'stolen'

A nest belonging to England's rarest ant species has been stolen, a conservation charity believes.

Devon Wildlife Trust said the narrow-headed ants' nest was taken from its Chudleigh Knighton Heath reserve in Devon - the last stronghold for the species in England.

It claimed the surrounding ground showed "clear signs of digging with a spade" and it has reported the matter to Devon and Cornwall Police, which is urging anyone with information to come forward.

The wildlife trust's species recovery officer Julia Balfour said the removal of the nest marked a "significant loss for this species" and was "every bit as serious as illegal raids on wild bird eggs".

Chudleigh Knighton Heath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, while narrow-headed ants are a Section 41 species, nationally rare, and near threatened on the IUCN red list of species, the trust said.

A single nest can hold between 1,000 and 5,000 ants, along with one or more breeding queens that can live for as long as 25 years.

Balfour said: "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."

Laura Krusin, conservation officer for Buglife's Moor Invertebrates Project, said the removal of nests could have a "catastrophic impact on the population, putting even more pressure on an already threatened species".

She added: "Narrow-headed ants are an extremely rare species, only known from one site in Devon and a handful of sites in Scotland.

"Not only are the ants incredibly special, but Chudleigh Knighton Heath itself is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for the ants and the other species it supports.

"Any damage to the site or removal of material is criminal and should be treated as a serious offence."

PC Lucy Wyatt, from the rural affairs team at Devon and Cornwall Police, said Sites of Special Scientific Interest were "legally protected" and it was a criminal offence for any person to "intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy, or disturb the protected area".

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