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It’s the news British people have been waiting for... summer has finally arrived.
But unfortunately, alongside it comes the dreaded ‘Flying Ant Day’. And according to reports, it has now started in the UK.
Every year, swarms of winged ants emerge from their nests under lawns, flower beds, and spilling out from between cracks in the pavement to find partners with whom they could create new colonies and repeat the process ad nauseam.
Typically black garden ants of the genus Lasius niger, they occasionally gather in such numbers that they register as thick drifting clouds on weather radars.
Why does it happen?
The reason ants emerge from the ground in this sudden fashion is because they have reached the “nuptial flight” phase of their reproductive cycles, at which point those with wings (known as alates) – virgin queen ants (or princesses) and male drones, but not flightless female workers – depart their nests in search of new colonies, moving as one for protection.
As the queens race off, they emit pheromones to attract mates while flying as fast as they can to ensure that only the fastest and most capable males can reach them.
This is an example of natural selection in action, as the species makes certain that only the strongest examples of the species get to pass on their genes to the next generation.
The spread to fresh colonies further afield also serves to limit inbreeding, as it means ants can mix with mates from other nests.
A queen – which can grow to 15mm in length and live for as long as 15 years in the wild, according to the Natural History Museum (NHM) – may have several mates during the nuptial flight and preserve their semen within her abdomen for a lifetime, with a view to fertilising future eggs.
She will go on to discard her wings by chewing them off and form new nests underground, but her male suitors will simply fall to the ground and die - their reason for existing.
Is it just one day of the year?
No. Despite being late comedian Sean Lock’s favourite day in the calendar, what is colloquially known as ‘Flying Ant Day’ can actually last for several weeks. In Britain and Ireland, flying ant days typically occur in July or August, often in warmer urban areas first, when the weather is hot and humid and when winds are low.
Temperature is a key factor, with the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) noting ant swarms rarely emerge if it is cooler than 13C, and says 25C is their preferred seasonal average.
The RSB, incidentally, argues we should think of flying ant seasons, rather than isolated days. It says ants may well take to the air on multiple occasions over the course of a British summer, depending on the atmospheric conditions, the species of ant in question and the nature of their habitat among other variables.
But there is often a day each summer which sees enough people on social media complain about the insects, and #FlyingAntDay starts to trend.
What can we do about it?
There is not much we can do, unfortunately. The best bet is to simply stay out of their way.
Batten down the hatches and console yourself with the integral role ants play in the maintenance of natural ecosystems.
Their colonies help to keep the soil aerated for the green-fingered amongst you.
This year Brits noticed increased activity in their ultimate predator the seagull, who can hoover up thousands in a day. Even foxes have been spotted trying to dine out on the swarms.
If you do get bitten or stung, do not be alarmed. The NHS states that such occurrences are “generally harmless, although you’ll probably feel a nip”.
