With flying ants season now underway in many parts of the UK, some might be looking forward to its end.
Flying ants begin appearing in Britain from June. Flying ants day, which was on Friday, July 7, took the internet by storm, seeing people post their sightings on social media.
Why do we get flying ants in the UK?
Our radar is picking up more than just #rain this morning – it's actually insects! Whilst there are a few rain showers, many of the echoes are in fact insects 🐜#FlyingAnts #FlyingAntDay pic.twitter.com/ZWEyaxTnkD
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 9, 2021
Flying ants appear across the UK in the summer months when newly matured queens go out and begin their own colony.
They must also find themselves a new male with which they can breed. To do this, they must grow their own wings to fly to a new area, according to the Natural History Museum.
What are flying ants and are they dangerous?
As said previously, flying ants are new queens in search of a male and a place to start their own colonies.
Country Living states that these flying ants are neither bad nor dangerous with only certain species like the carpenter ant posing risk to property.
In summer, you may notice that the ground suddenly seems to be crawling with large winged ants. But why does this annual swarming event occur? Find out more: https://t.co/GMy2AHxZX8 pic.twitter.com/zvta4tp7Hd
— Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) July 12, 2021
When does the flying ants season end?
Country Living adds that on as many as 96% of days between June and September, flying ants are spotted.
The Natural History Museum appears to back this up, saying that flying ants can appear at any time between these months.
This means that the flying ants season should end around September.
However, the museum added: "Winged ants appear at different times around the country and local weather conditions are critical for the coordination of swarming activity."
