Wood Ants

The past two days have been manic.
It's not often I get days like these now and I've actually enjoyed being super busy again.

I've been putting together a team to help someone who after a seven month stay in hospital, will need support to enable him to return home.
I've succeeded and I know I've got in place, the best for the job and have back ups for when situations and necessities change.

I managed to take mutts for a well earned walk, having been subjected to my endless chatting on the phone and being virtually ignored for the past 3 days.

We stumbled on a Wood Ants nest. This 3 x 1 meter pile of pine needles could be anything up to 50 years old. I don't think this one is that old, but it is a rare sight to see our largest ants, Formica rufa, in full action on a Spring day.
I was covered in ants from where I stood to take this photo and the dogs were attacked and retreated as soon as they neared the base.The hole at the top may be a woodpeckers feeding station.

The nests are often overlooked, as they do look like a mound of needle covered earth, but there are those that go out looking for them and they are becoming vulnerable. They are dug out for the eggs to feed reptiles and, insanely, some survival sites tell people they are a wild food that taste like prawns when cooked! On the continent, Wood ants are introduced into woodland for pest control. They are very effective, as over 100,000 may live in a single nest and there may be more than a hundred queens at any one time.

Don't step on them... they bite. Three ants came home with me, attached to my skin by their pincers!