How Long Do Flying Ants Live in the UK?
WouterDuring the summer, millions of flying ants swarm around the UK. They are a great source of food for birds, and their ability to recycle nutrients and aerate the soil makes them important to the ecosystem.
A group of scientists from the Royal Society of Biology have carried out research into the life of flying ants. Their findings have been published in the journal Ecography.
Researchers studied flying ants over three years. They found that they only emerged when the weather was warm enough, with low wind speeds. A single queen ant in an ant nest usually has around 5,000 workers.
When a queen ant mates, she loses her wings, and starts a new colony. She then searches for a nest site and lays her eggs in a chamber underground. She then rests until her eggs hatch.
The new queens then search for a new nest and begin the cycle again. They typically live for up to ten years. After mating, the male ants die.
The most common type of flying ants is the black garden variety. They have a single queen and can have between 5,000 and 15,000 workers.
During the summer, flying ants can appear on the same day in different parts of the UK. This phenomenon is also known as ‘flying ant day’.
The Royal Society of Biology say that their research shows that the number of flying ants in the UK depends on the weather. They usually appear in July, but can occur in other months as well.
