Experts have warrned that Flying Ant Day could bring bumper numbers next month, but many Metro readers say they’re already here.
The ‘day’ is not something you’ll see written out on calendars like the Battle of the Boyne, but is an annual event when when millions of male and female ants fly out of their colonies to mate in the air.
Yes, they will be joining the mile high club (well, 6ft-high club) having sex in the air, and after that most of the males will simply die.
We wouldn’t be too concerned with what they get up to, except for the fact that it can be icky to walk through swarms of winged ants, which could get stuck in your hair or clothes, and even get into your homes too.
After sharing our story on the ants’ imminent arrival, some readers told how they were already seeing plenty.
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Martin Floyd, from north-west Kent, commented: ‘It was today here… hundreds of seagulls swarming the skies and eating the ants.’
Others said they were seen in places including the Isle of Wight, London and Cardiff.
Pamla Morgan wrote: ‘We had loads of flying ants in Chester as well thay were in my hair. And even went down my top. My goodness I didn’t half panic.’
One reader took issue with the phrasing of our article, asking why we said this year could be the ‘worst’ yet rather than ‘best’ yet, given the importance of insects to the environment.
Flying ants are a viral food source for other animals including birds, bats, frogs and spiders, giving them a seasonal feast like our Christmas dinner.
All ants help to aerate the soil, recycling nutrients by breaking down organic matter and transporting it underground. Some flying ants contribute to pollination, while their journey can mean new colonies are established (by the female ant queens, which chew off their own wings and burrow into the soil) maintaining biodiversity.
So don’t just go mad with the bleach and boiling water trying to get rid of them: we’d miss them if they were gone.
Many readers said that they had seen birds swooping and stuffing themselves with ants, with some expressing pity for the winged insects which just want to reproduce.
‘I once saw hundreds of flying ants; within seconds the birds came and ate them all,’ Bob Bou said.
But Lynn Price responded: ‘They are great bird food, much needed for the young in the nest.’
Donna Marchant added: ‘The only good thing about these pesky flying ants is that the seagulls will be hungover and not be noisy in the morning at 3am!’
Many people discussed the timing of Flying Ant Day, and unfortunately we cannot tell you for sure when yours will be, as it depends on conditions in individual areas. It might not be a single day either, but spread across a few.
Urban regions often see flying ants earlier than rural spots, because cities tend to be hotter.
Kelly Art wrote: ‘We had it about a month ago, but with this weird unpredictable weather maybe we’ll have another. There are tons of ladybirds around at the moment as well.’
If you’re worried about the flying ants appearing, you’re not the only one.
Vanessa Lock wrote: ‘Noooo…spiders i can handle [but] anything flying nope no thank you…i will be a screaming banshee.’
Natasha Jones added: ‘this is literally me. I almost got hit by a car one year one landed on me.’
Some said that the ants were not just sticking to parks and gardens, but getting inside their personal sanctuaries.
Jo Sarah wrote: ‘A massive swarm of them suddenly appeared from behind my fridge earlier, they were coming out from behind the baseboards.’
But we’re not convinced James Tovey really had an ant invasion, though appreciate the pun… ‘I had 11 ants in my kitchen earlier. I removed one and let the rest stay. They’re now tenants.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.