Flying ant day

Emma Chaplin
, 19 July 2023
Flying ant day
Black Ant queen emerging from nest © Neil Fletcher

Why do all the flying ants seem to emerge at the same time?

The Black Garden Ant produces large, winged queens at this time of year, which incredibly synchronise their mating flights with thousands of other colonies all on the same afternoon. The sudden abundance of insects also provides a feeding bonanza for many species of birds, including starlings, gulls and sparrows.

The smaller winged males join the queens and mate with them in mid-air, then the queens return to earth, lose their wings and seek a new site to set up a new colony of ants. Most queens are not successful, but those that are may live 10-15 years laying eggs for the new colony.

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