'Flying Ant Day' to hit UK earlier this year as heatwave brings swarm of pests

Every year swarms of flying ants sweep across the country
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Britain should brace for "Flying Ant Day" to hit the UK earlier this year because of a 30C heatwave, experts have said.

Swarms of winged insects descend on the country in early to mid-July each year as the flying ants take flight in search of a mate.

The UK's Entomological Society said flying ants usual swoop on the UK in July but this year this is a possibility that the pests could be seen earlier.

“The ants fly on certain days at certain times of the year,” said Professor Adam Hart, a fellow of the society, from the University of Gloucestershire.

“They are very good at predicting the weather and therefore their flights all depends on the weather conditions.

“It is definitely possible that due to the warm conditions the UK has been experiencing in recent weeks that we could see some flying ants earlier this year.”

However, Professor Hart said “only time would tell” and that it was impossible to predict for sure when the ants will take flight.

Professor Hart explained that the ants Brits see on "Flying Ant Days" are not the same as the pests we deal with all year round.

“Inside the colony at this time of year ants start rearing King and Queen off spring with the objective being that they will create new colonies. These Kings and Queens develop wings and fly out to find a mate,” he said.

Professor Hart said billions of ants all swarm at once in order to “confuse predators,” giving them the optimum chance of survival.

“Once they are done mating the males die really quickly and the females will create a new colony,” Professor Hart said.

Pest control company Rentokil said that ant-related call outs increased 148 per cent from March to April.

He said he believed this was due to the sudden rise in temperatures in the UK during this period.

The warm weather saw Brits experience the hottest April day since 1949.

David Cross, head of the technical training academy at Rentokil Pest Control, said: “If temperatures remain high, we also expect this to really be a bumper year for flying ants, which could manifest itself at ‘Flying Ant Day’ – the ‘nuptial flight’ stage of ant reproduction where swarms of flying ants are prominent.”

Parts of England and Wales are expected to top 30C, with some reaching as high as 32C in the south and south-east, forecasters added.

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