Swarms of flying ants could be about to descend on Gedling borough…

A year ago because of the long warm summer there were several waves of flying ants.

Tell me more about them..

Flying Ant Day sees scores of the little creatures landing on clothing of residents across Britain – and Coventry and the surrounding region is no different.

These ants, after 24 hours of nuptial flight, lose their wings.

How do we know it’s likely to be Flying Ant Day? “Flying Ant Day” is a day when numerous ants come out flying.

Flying ants also provide a vital food resource for many species of birds, particularly swifts and gulls.

An ant But ants don’t normally fly?

New queens, however, will leave to mate and found a colony of their own. In order to attract males, the ant releases pheromones.

They survive for about a month, while the flying ants you see once a year are males and young queens.

The Royal Society of Biology is gathering information about where and when ants take to the air, in a bid to discover more about the annual phenomenon.

People in Gedling borough are gearing up for #FlyingAntDay which could happen any day now…

The rise in heat tempts the first ants out and it is thought Queen ants take their cue from the weather to venture out of their nests on a “nuptial flight”, seeking males from other colonies to mate with.

After mating, a queen ant can store sperm in her abdomen for a lifetime, and can use it to fertilise millions of eggs.

The males are led on a chase to ensure only the fittest get to mate – which leaves large numbers of insects available to predators like seagulls.

A report published in Chronicle Live revealed, “People living in some parts of the United Kingdom have already noticed swarms of flying ants in their homes and gardens – but could this week see “Flying Ant Day” across the North East?”.

Once on back on the ground, the queen ant will then attempt to start a new colony wherever she lands.

The day, dubbed Flying Ant Day, occurs when their is the flawless mix of hot, humid weather as the heat makes it easier for them to fly, while the humidity makes the ground softer for landing.

It’s been late July and early August over the past couple of years, because they need warm, dry weather to sprout their wings so the high temperatures we’ve had over the last few days are ideal.