Hairy wood ants from a forest in north-east England are going on a trip: they're being moved some 241km (150 miles) west to another woodland in a bid boost its biodiversity.

Forestry England, which manages publicly owned forests in England, says the technique, called translocation, is part of a broader strategy to restore forest ecosystems and enhance biodiversity by reintroducing these small but vital ecosystem engineers to areas where they are absent.

"They're extremely important for a range of different reasons," said Dr Andrew Stringer, Head of Environment and Nature Recovery at Forestry England, who manage the country's publicly owned land and trees. "They move nutrients around the forest, they're a generalist predator.

"Ants can be as good as pesticides at pest defence for a forest ecosystem, they're a natural forest defence mechanism."

Despite plenty of suitable habitat for the ants, all known populations are constrained to just 14 per cent of England's woodlands.

Now, a team has carried out the second phase of the translocation project, moving four large ant nests, each housing thousands of ants, following an initial transfer of six smaller nests in May.

Early observations indicate the ants adapted swiftly, actively reorganizing their nests and exploring their new surroundings within days.

"It's going to be very closely monitored," Stringer said. "We've followed, very strictly, things like the reintroduction guidelines.

"And we're really excited about this translocation to see how that population establishes, how it grows and how it contributes to a fully functioning ecosystem

Hairy wood ants play a critical role in forest health, acting as dominant predators that protect flora and fauna while creating nutrient-rich hotspots through their extensive nests.

Their nest structures can reach up to 2 metres in height, supporting numerous specialist species and enhancing nutrient cycling, which benefits tree growth.

The trial, supported by the University of York, will track the ants’ establishment and the recovery of donor sites, with data shared publicly to aid similar projects.

The teams are now eagerly awaiting April 2026 when the ants emerge from hibernation.

"The next key milestone for them will be whether they survive the winter hibernation period," added Hayley Dauben, species reintroduction officer for Forestry England.

"It is an experiment so we don't know exactly how it will go or what we'll learn. But we hope that this is going to be something that we can use in other forests across the country."