The Yellow Meadows Ant is familiar to us as the common ant that creates anthills in grassland and downland habitats, but also appears in our gardens if the grass is not cut too often. They build a soil dome above the nest – which can extend a metre below the ground – that helps to regulate temperature and humidity. Like all ants, the Yellow Meadow Ant is social and forms colonies; the ‘workers’ are mainly active underground, however, and not often seen unless the nest is disturbed. During summer, winged adults pair and mate, the females dispersing to form new colonies.