Formica polyctena, a species of European red wood ant, is on the IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of endangered species in Germany, so we bring its anthills to safety whenever we encounter them during construction work.
We have relocated two such nests from the site of Karower Kreuz station in northern Berlin, for example. First, we pack an anthill into a large paper sack and move it to its new site. Placing it on the ground, we spread a circle of sugar around the nest. This gives the ants enough food until they have familiarized themselves with their new environs. Because a move like this is always exhausting.
We also had to move an anthill, which can have a circumference of up to three meters, before construction could begin on a railway bridge over the Nuthe river in Brandenburg. A change of air can be good for these little creatures.
