Characteristic features enable unambiguous identification
The red ant doesn't take its name by accident. Their body is mostly red in color. Only the head and legs have dark, black-brown spots. It differs from other wood ants in that it has clear hair on the chest and underside of the head. The workers are 4.5 to 9.0 millimeters tall. Queens and males achieve a body length of up to 11 millimeters.
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- Help - ants have settled in my flower pot
- Drive away ants in an environmentally friendly and safe way
- Treat ants in the garden with respect
If red ants choose your garden as a residence, you will immediately have a sparkling clean green realm. The omnivores eat everything from scale insects to larvae to mice.
However, two properties make red wood ants very unpopular. The insects have powerful mouthparts that they can use to deal painful bites. In addition, their construction can take on monumental proportions of up to 3 meters high.
Moving ants with the flower pot trick - this is how it works
If you have discovered red ants in time in the garden thanks to their striking body color, you can easily relocate the colony in accordance with the species protection law. This is how it works:
- Pad several flower pots with wood wool
- Place the pots upside down in various places on the walkways
The wood ants cannot resist this tempting shelter and move their nest in one of the pots. When the move is complete, slide a spade under the pot and carry it to a place in the coniferous or mixed forest.
Tips
Red ants avoid being close to people. In contrast, the black garden ant (Lasius niger) has less scruples about cheekily laying its nests under the paving of terraces or garden paths and turning them into dangerous stumbling blocks. By using special jointing sand when laying, such as Dansand Top Lock, you can effectively prevent ants from colonizing the area in advance.
