’They’re everywhere’: Ants took over a Triangle park. Now town calls for backup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wendell Park in North Carolina has an “unusually large” population of one type of ant.
- The species formica integra is known to spray an acid, which can irritate the skin.
- Researchers aim to reduce the ant population while preserving their environmental role.
Tiny critters have taken over a suburban North Carolina park, creating a big problem.
Wendell Park is teeming with ants, and one expert believes the public space could be home to tens of millions of them.
“If you step out of your car, there’s the potential for them to already be climbing up your legs,” Christopher Hayes, assistant professor and extension specialist at N.C. State University, told The News & Observer in a Wednesday, April 1 phone interview. “I mean, they’re everywhere, ... and in immense numbers.”
Now, Hayes is working with the town of Wendell to help control the ant population at the park. Here’s what we know about the insect issue and the timeline for addressing it.
‘Unusually large’ number of ants
The park is in Wendell, a roughly 15-mile drive east from downtown Raleigh. Visitors can enjoy athletic fields, walking paths and other amenities, according to the town’s website.
But the ants can be a nuisance to unsuspecting parkgoers. In comments on Facebook and Instagram, people said they had uncomfortable encounters during sporting events and family walks.
The ants are from the species formica integra, which doesn’t sting when it’s disturbed. Instead, the ants bite and spray formic acid, which can lead to painful welts on people’s skin.
Photos shared with The N&O show dozens of the ants crawling around the park. There has been an ant issue since at least 2014, and now the outdoor space is home to an “unusually large number” of them, according to the town.
“These ants are everywhere,” Tyler Newman, communications manager for Wendell, said Sunday, March 29 in a video posted to Facebook. “And it turns out Wendell Park could, in fact, have some of the highest densities of these ants anywhere in the Southeast United States.”
So how did so many ants end up there? Formica integra — also known as red mound ants, Eastern mound ants or red field ants — are believed to be polygynous. That means they form “super colonies” that have multiple queens, according to Hayes.
Tackling the ant problem
Wendell sought outside help to tackle the park’s ant problem. The town said its board approved $21,600 to go toward an initial proposal for Project Antenna, which started in March and is set to run until September.
The town has turned to Hayes, who said the project will use a bait that’s safe for people and their pets. His team hopes the insecticide draws in ants, which then could spread toxins to other members of their colonies.
The goal is to learn more about the ants and reduce their population so people can have better experiences at the park. At the same time, researchers won’t eliminate all the ants due to their importance to the environment, according to the town’s video.
“In its ecosystem, it plays a vital role in nutrient recycling and scavenging as well as aphid management and farming,” the town wrote on its website. “They are ecologically beneficial in reasonable numbers.”
For more details about the project and an updated timeline, visit townofwendellnc.gov/ants.
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 4:19 PM.
