Millions of insects swarm the skies as ‘Flying Ant Day’ hits in the UK

Millions of insects swarm the skies as 'Flying Ant Day' hits in the UK

Millions of insects swarm the skies as 'Flying Ant Day' hits in the UK Credit: Twitter

Millions of insects swarm the skies as ‘Flying Ant Day’ hits and homes are invaded in the UK. The often bothersome “flying ant day” happens when a Queen leaves a nest, and is followed by a swarm of males as she heads out to set up her own colony.

Yesterday Wednesday August 4, social media was awash with photos and complaints of “flying ant day”. Normally this happens over several days but many Brits declared Wednesday “flying ant day”.

Most often the insects can be seen in July or August, especially in hot weather after it has rained heavily. Swarms were spotted across the country including Bedfordshire, Derbyshire Worcestershire and South London too.

One person took to Twitter and said: “Flying ant day in Surrey – who needs a post-run protein snack? NOT ME.”

While another user joked about the plague and said: “OH GOOD ITS FLYING ANT DAY. Was just wondering what the next plague would be.”

The swarms bothered many people who just wanted to carry on with their daily tasks. “Ugh, flying ant day in my garden. I just want to get the washing in” said one tweet.

The University of Gloucestershire’s, Professor Adam Hart, has given a few details on the bothersome ants. “The really busy time seems to be around the third week of July, but it really depends on the weather,” said Hart.

“Sometimes we see the first wave around Wimbledon and if the weather holds we can see emergences throughout August.”

According to Environmental science expert Aidan O’Hanlon ants are essential.

“They can seem annoying but ants are ecologically essential,” Aidan told RSVP live.

“They provide aeration in soil through their nesting behaviour, and serving as a bonanza food source for birds, spiders, wasps and other insects in the summer when the ants swarm in huge numbers.”


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Alex
Written by

Alex Glenn

Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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