Ants fitted with tiny radio receivers

The three-year study by York University biologists on the internationally-protected northern hairy wood ants will take place on the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire.

The Peak District and the North York Moors are the only locations in England for the species and the Derbyshire site contains more than 1,000 nests and is home to up to 50 million worker ants.

Researchers will catch the ants and attach a one-millimetre radio receiver to each one. The ants are the size of an adult thumbnail, but scientists have stressed the process will not harm them.

The research team will examine how the ants communicate with each other in their colonies, which are housed in nests connected by a network of highways.

The findings will be used by National Trust staff on the estate to manage the ancient woodland, made up of oak and birch trees, where the ants can be found.