Tourists have been mobbed by clouds of flying ants as the winged critters invade Spanish beaches.
The sand is full of the flapping insects which have also plaguing parks, streets and schools, getting in the faces and on the nerves of visitors and locals alike.
The flying ants first appeared on Tuesday and are now covering miles of the beaches, turning the sand into black swarming masses.
"They look like a black blanket on the sand," one horrified sunbather said.
Experts say the phenomenon happens every autumn or spring when it rains and is part of the natural biological cycle of the insects.
They have also assured holidaymakers that the ants will disappear within a week.
Flying ants head out en-masse each year to find a new colony in another location.
The swarms are made up of queen and male flying ants.
The queens will mate with the strongest males during the flight, before landing and starting their own colonies at a new location.
Although dubbed Flying Ant Day in the UK, it usually happens over several days, before culminating in a date when people notice hundreds and thousands of swarms at once.
The Alicante region is experiencing lower temperatures and rain this week, hence the explosion of the flying ants.
A biologist told Spanish newspaper Informacion.es: "The rain is a signal for them that they can start this biological cycle.
"They detect that the ground is wet and can dig into it to create a new anthill. They leave where they are to look for another one. It can last from three to seven days, then they disappear.
"It is not only a phenomenon in rural areas, in cities it also occurs in parks or spaces where there are areas where you can dig."
Tourists and locals have been urged to "be calm", even though the flying ants are causing tongues to wag.
Other regions of Spain are also reporting an invasion of flying ants, including Murcia where it has been raining for several days.
