Yellow Meadow Ant Mounds | Slide Mouse
The yellow meadow ant also yellow hill ant formal name lasius flavus is one of the most common ants in central europe and it also occurs in asia and north africa but populations in north america are a different related species lasius brevicornis.
Yellow meadow ant mounds. They build a soil dome above the nest which can extend a metre below the ground to help regulate temperature and humidity. The mounded nests of yellow meadow ants create numerous small scale micro sites within grassland ecosystems each with small differences in soil nutrients soil temperature humidity drainage and sunlight e. A related species lassius brevicornis is found in north america. Yellow meadow ants thrive on denbies hillside and their anthills can be seen scattered throughout our open chalk grassland.
The hills present a problem for mowers and the mounds are destroyed by mowing. Yellow meadow ants are wide spread across central europe some parts of n. The queen is 7 9 mm long males 3 4 mm and workers 2 4 mm. Hot or cold spots in nutrient cycling.
This allows a much greater range of grasses herbs and other flowering plants to thrive. The yellow meadow ant also known as the yellow hill ant lasius flavus is one of the most common ants in central europe. Their nest mounds are commonly seen on in lawns and pastures where they might be as large as a basketball they are typically covered in grass vegetation. Their colour varies from yellow to brown with queen and males being slightly more darkly colored.
Lasius flavus activity has been shown to change the amounts of plant nutrients in their mound soil substrate. Yellow meadow ants are subterranean meaning that they mostly live in the safety and darkness underground. The yellow meadow ant lasius flavus is a common mound building species of central european grasslands. This is why no mowing is carried out on denbies hillside sssi site of special scientific interest.
The yellow crazy ant anoplolepis gracilipes is an invasive species that has spread from its natural habitat of southeast asia.