Conservation

the Formica project

Given the near threatened status in 1996, we have found that Formica rufa populations have significantly fallen in the last 30 years. Whilst across Europe the near threatened status may still stand, in the UK it is critical and the foundation is taking steps to fix this with re-wilding of colonies.

Why save wood ants?

The wood ant (Formica rufa) is a keystone species - a single insect that an entire web of life is built around. A mature colony reshapes the woodland around it: it turns over and aerates the soil, recycles nutrients back into the ground, controls populations of forestry pests, and disperses the seeds of woodland plants. Dozens of other species, from specialist beetles and other invertebrates that live nowhere else but in their nests, to the birds that feed on them, depend directly on their presence. Native populations are now classed as Near Threatened and declining fast, and when they vanish the ecosystems they hold together quietly come apart with them. Restoring rufa isn't about saving one ant; it's about putting the keystone back so the whole arch can stand.

Natural pest control

A single wood ant nest can take care of 50,000 to 60,000 insects in a day, keeping defoliating caterpillars and other tree pests in check. Without them, those pest populations climb unchecked and the trees that depend on a healthy forest pay the price.

Healthier soils and faster nutrient cycling

As they build and tend their nests, wood ants constantly turn over and aerate the soil, drawing nutrients down into the ground. Remove them and that natural engineering stops, leaving soils poorer and slower to recycle the matter that woodland life feeds on.

Seed dispersal and plant diversity

Wood ants carry and spread the seeds of many woodland plants, helping flowers and ground flora establish across the forest floor. Lose the ants and you lose a free distribution network, and over time the variety of plants in the woodland thins out.

A foundation for other wildlife

Their nests are miniature ecosystems, home to specialist beetles and invertebrates found almost nowhere else, while birds such as the green woodpecker rely on the ants themselves for food. Take the wood ants away and these dependent species disappear too, dragging down biodiversity right across the wood.

What are we doing

Wood ants are disappearing from our landscapes, and the Formica rufa are believed to be Threatened in the UK. Rather than just talk about the problem, we decided to do something about it. Over the past two years we have planned, developed and implemented a system to raise 40 healthy wood ant colonies from scratch, caring for them through every stage so they are strong enough to survive in the wild.

These are not just any colonies. Every one has been checked to confirm it is true, original Formica rufa, so we know we are putting the right ants back. We raised them through carefully controlled conditions that removed the heavy losses young colonies normally suffer in their first winter, which means far more of them reach the point of being ready for release.

In June 2026 we carried out the first release of its kind that we know of, placing these colonies to chosen woodland sites at Comer Woods on the Dudmaston Estate and at Kinver Edge, both National Trust trial sites. We work alongside Dr Wendy Harries and Charlotte from Swansea University, with input from naturalist Nick Baker, so the project is grounded in real science and added to the scientific record. Tom and Emily from the National Trust have been onboard, and supporting the project enabling us to do it.

Our job does not end when the ants go into the ground. For a full year after release we provide supplementary food and travel out regularly to check on each colony, giving them the support they need to settle, grow and establish naturally. Trained volunteers from our own Ant Antics community help us monitor the sites, watching for that all important first wild winter that tells us the colonies are truly thriving again.

If this is successful, our pilot site would see us rolling out the program nationally and restoring wood ants to any woodland that should, would or could have them moving forward.

How can you help?

The first release

proved this works. Now we want to raise the next batch and put even more wood ants back where they belong, and that is where you come in. Raising a colony to release standard takes two years of daily care, feeding and travel, and every bit of that is funded by people who believe these ants are worth saving.

Supporting our work

Together we can move from one successful release to many, and give the wood ant and everything that depends on it a real future in our woodlands.

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Sponsor a colony

For the price of supporting one colony, you become part of its whole journey, from a young nest in our care all the way to its release into protected woodland. You can name your colony, follow its progress, and know that a real, living piece of the wild carries your support with it.

Make a donation

Every donation, large or small, goes straight into raising the next generation of colonies. It covers the feeding, the genetic testing that guarantees we release true native ants, and the year of aftercare that gives each colony the best chance of thriving. Even a small gift helps us reach the next release.

Volunteer

If you live near one of our release sites, you can get involved directly. We train volunteers to help monitor the colonies in the wild, checking on their progress and recording how they settle, and it is a brilliant way to be part of the project hands on and see the difference for yourself.

Spread the word

Not everyone can give, and that is fine. Sharing this page, telling a friend, or simply helping people understand why wood ants matter all make a genuine difference to a species most people have never heard of.

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