Super ants with deadly attraction to electricity escape from Gloucestershire and head for London

An invasion of “super ants” with a attraction to electricity so strong it may eventually result in their own death is feared to have spread across the south of England, after a large nest was found in London.

Known as fire ants, or Asian super ants, the insects were first spotted in the UK in 2009 at Hidcote Manor – a National Trust property in Gloucestershire – where more than 35,000 were discovered.

Unlike normal ants, the the Lasius neglectus super ants form huge colonies which can interconnect over many miles.

Now it is believed this colony of ants is on the move, after a colony was found to have invaded a house in Hendon, north-west London, almost 100 miles from Hidcote, while more have been discovered in Buckinghamshire.

The super ant’s attraction towards electricity is stronger than its compulsion to eat or drink, meaning it can gnaw through electricity cables and nest in electrical equipment and plug sockets.  These ants usually nest in electrical items and this means they can pose a fire risk and when they swarm can cause blackouts.