There are not many insects that have a day of the year reserved for their celebration. Flying ant day is, as you can surmise, a day of the year when ants are expected to fly. However, the day is not necessarily a celebratory one, as most people dread the time of year when ants make their nuptial flights. You will not find flying ant day on any calendars, and nobody takes a day off of work to honor winged ants; instead, flying ant day was thought up as a joke among British citizens who were looking to make light of an otherwise annoying phenomenon. In fact, flying ant day does not even occur on a particular day of the year. Pretty much any day that falls within the timeframe of annual winged ant flights can be considered flying ant day. Winged ants take to the skies during early July in Great Britain in order to mate with other reproductive ants. These annual flights occur everywhere in the world where ants exist, but the timeframe varies by habitat. Once male and female reproductive ants mate, a new colony is formed with the female serving as queen.
Flying ants are certainly a source of annoyance, but they are harmless. Although some have reported sustaining bites from winged ants, this is considered to be a very rare occurrence in most regions. The only thing people can do to avoid being bombarded with winged ants is to simply avoid them, but this is easier said than done. Flying ants are known to suddenly emerge from the ground before swarming around humans and animals. In these situations, the best a person can do is keep his or her mouth tightly shut in order to prevent the involuntary consumption of ants. For those who insist on killing winged ants, there are several methods that have been proven effective. For example, people have sprayed swarms with soapy water in order to kill them, and some people search for nests in order to directly pour water into them. However, killing them is not advisable, as they are beneficial to the ecosystem. Ants, including flying ants, aerate soil and provide food for birds.
Have you ever heard of flying ant day? Did you know that ants indulge in an annual nuptial flight?