“Cuckoo” of the ant world rediscovered on Deeside A rare and very elusive ant has been discovered to be thriving in Deeside for the first time in more than 70 years. The shining guest ant, known for being a “cuckoo” of the ant world, because it only lives in the nests of other ants, was last seen in Deeside 1952. The rediscovery of the ant was made by wildlife tour operators Dan and Rachael Brown of Wild Discovery, at Crathie, on the Invercauld Estate, near Balmoral Castle. Their find was confirmed by experts at the Hutton who say the number of ants seen has been exceptional and far higher than anywhere else in Scotland. Dr Jenni Stockan, a research scientist specialising in insect ecology at the Hutton, says, “This is a notable find. The shining guest ant only lives in the nests of wood ants and the only other places it is found in Scotland are Speyside and Loch Lomond. “They are globally threatened, so to have found another population in Scotland, and a thriving one, is great news. The fact that they are present also indicates healthy wood ant populations.” Dan Brown, of Wild Discovery, said, “We were incredibly excited to discover the tiny, glistening bodies of shining guest ants amongst a heaving colony of wood ants. We have searched hundreds of wood ant mounds over the past few summers in Royal Deeside and this discovery came out of nowhere and just a few hundred meters from our house. Further searching revealed another four wood ant nests containing their tiny house mates, so who knows what other exciting discoveries await in the glen.” The ant was last recorded in Deeside in 1952, on the Invercauld estate, by entomologist Cedric Collingwood. Previous surveys for the shining guest ant on Deeside failed to find it, including extensive searches on the Invercauld estate, as part of the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project (led by RSPB). 12 Hutton Highlights
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