Flying ants: why this year's mating season could be longer and more frenzied than ever
Age: Their ancestors have been with us since the end of the Jurassic period.
Appearance: Like ants, but airborne.
What kind of ant can fly? They're just regular black garden ants. The wingless ones you see walking around most of the time are the infertile female workers.
And the winged ones? They're the males and the young queens that take to the air on what is commonly called flying ant day.
When is that? There isn't really such a thing – the flying ants emerge over several weeks, usually around the end of July, with a peak period lasting a few days. But it can certainly feel like flying ant day when the insects in your area are swarming.
Why do they do it? For mating with other colonies. The mating happens in mid‑air, which is why it's also called the nuptial flight.
So it's like a mile-high club for ants? Not exactly. The Natural History Museum senior curator Suzanne Ryder describes ant mating as 'quick and violent, with the male dying shortly afterwards'.
What about the queens? Once they've been fertilised, they chew off their own wings and start laying eggs.
Great. So what day can I expect to be surrounded by thousands of flying, fornicating, dying ants this year? Predictions for this year's peak period are 22 to 25 July – or earlier in urban areas – and it looks set to be the worst one yet.
Why? The climate crisis. Alternating warm and wet conditions could trigger the appearance of 'tens of millions of them taking to the skies in massive swarms', according to Paul Blackhurst, the head of Rentokil's Technical Academy.
Is that enough to blot out the sun? Probably not. But they can be a temporary nuisance; occasionally, as in 2018, they arrive early enough to disrupt Wimbledon.
What should I do? Best to keep your doors, windows and mouth shut during the peak.
You mean just put up with it? Yes – black garden ants are an important food source for birds and a friend to the butterfly, while their tunnelling is vital for improving soil quality.
Have they considered spreading their mating period over a more leisurely timescale? The swarming is supposed to improve their chances of survival by overwhelming predators.
And overwhelming picnics in the process. They're not doing it to inconvenience you.
Do say: 'Flying ant fortnight seems to come earlier every year.'
Don't say: 'It looks set to be another hot ant summer.'
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