Sudden cloud of flying ants - Barry Rd

[MissusF]

Anyone else noticed the sudden and quite random cloud of flying ants all along barry road this evening? Any ideas? Their annual migration to elsewhere? Or something else...?!

[Gloves1980]

Flying ant day. Happens about three times a year. Usually after rain....so the lady and her partner can find some soft ground to raise a family.

Spiders and birds have a field day.

[MissusF]

Thanks Gloves1980. A little unnerving!

[phobic3000]

Happy Flying Ants Day everyone! Hope you have all had a great day...

[Sue]

OMG I uncovered a whole nest of winged ants today, luckily they hadn't started flying yet :(

[LJC56]

Always happens this time of year, spookily within a week or so of the middle of July. Ugh!

[pommie]

I thought they only come out when its going to be really muggy!

[Otta]

It's a biblical plague. The floods will come next week.

[Sue]

Otta Wrote:

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> It's a biblical plague. The floods will come next

> week.

Well at least the floods will drown the ants :))

[BrandNewGuy]

No ants, then no starlings or green woodpeckers. C'mon, Sue - cycle of life and all that :-)

[TheArtfulDogger]

Dead ants everywhere this morning, apparently it's the males who bits "explode" when mating with the queen...

Guess ant dogging isn't a popular thing in their world 😉

[????]

Barry Road Run (Ants only)

[TheArtfulDogger]

Maybe they were off to the cinema to see Antman

[Sue]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> No ants, then no starlings or green woodpeckers.

> C'mon, Sue - cycle of life and all that :-)

Yeh, OK, true.

I'll just try and stay out of the way of the ants then.

[Blah Blah]

They only live for a day or so I think.

[SebsC]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/flying-ant-day-capital-deluged-by-annual-swarm-of-winged-insects-10391610.html

[DulwichFox]

Ants are good..

Until they get in your home.. cupboards..

Having said that..

Soil Makers: Like earthworms, ants help create healthy soil. By digging tunnels, ants aerate and turn over the dirt, bring nutrients closer to the surface, and allow rainwater to circulate more fully through the soil.

Seed Sowers: Seed-harvesting ants increase the dispersal, survival, and germination rate of seeds. By carrying them to new habitats and storing them in nutrient-rich ant nests, the seeds can sprout in a safe environment, protected from seed predators as well as drought. This helps plants thrive in the wild.

Pest Police: Many ants prey on the eggs and larvae of bothersome household insects such as flies, fleas, silverfish, bed bugs, and even cockroaches.

AntBlog:- http://www.antweb.org/antblog/2012/08/what-good-are-ants-david-panama-city-florida-usa.html

You might become a little more tolerant..

Foxy

P.S. I had an infestation myself in my kitchen and had to use Ant Powder to deal with it.

Tell tale signs in the garden. Piles of very fine 'dust' along gaps in patio slabs.

[intexasatthe moment]

Do you think the ants nest in the black plastic bag of leaves I'm hoping will turn into compost is good ? Will it help the process along ?

[Sue]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

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> Do you think the ants nest in the black plastic

> bag of leaves I'm hoping will turn into compost is

> good ? Will it help the process along ?

I've got an ants' nest in my compost bin on my allotment.

Apparently that's because the compost is too dry.

However I'm told that they help to aerate it and don't actually do any harm ......

[intexasatthe moment]

Aah ,that makes sense .I'll google how to dampen it .

[Gloves1980]

Flying ants stole my baby

[TheArtfulDogger]

Gloves1980 Wrote:

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> Flying ants stole my baby

Obviously trained by Freddie Starr who ate my hamster

[Chinaboyx]

Fuken litle bastuds got me right on t'noggin