The internet was abuzz yesterday with reports of flying ants enjoying a 鈥渘uptial flight鈥� across the city. Photo iStock
On Wednesday, 麻豆传媒映画was abuzz with reports of flying insects taking to the skies and pestering the population. But it wasn鈥檛 swarms of locusts signalling the end of the world or even an elaborate promotional campaign for the upcoming theatrical release of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
It was swarms of flying ants鈥� getting it on.
Happy Flying Ant Day to the 麻豆传媒映画area! Here鈥檚 30 queens I caught only on the short path in my yard.
— Danielle Hoefele (@dhoefele)
Have to hand it to getting every Flying Ant nest in 麻豆传媒映画to hatch at the same moment yesterday. Just in time for
— Rob Hodkinson (@RobHodkinson)
Hey, Vancouver! Heard you like flying ants! On your face! In your hair! EVERYWHERE!!! ?
— Nick Routley (@Phanyxx)
Hi David - I can confirm it鈥檚 Flying Ant day here in North 麻豆传媒映画too. How very mysterious.....
— Richard Rootes (@richrootes)
According to Joe Gabara of 麻豆传媒映画Pest Control Ltd., tis the season for cornfield ants to grow wings, take to the friendly skies and make the beast with two backs 鈥� otherwise known as a 鈥渘uptial flight.鈥�
鈥淭his is their reproductive season so this is the time they swarm. You get a whole bunch of male and female swarms and then they mate. The females go on to lay eggs and start colonies again. And the males die off.鈥�
In case you were wondering, the ants with the larger wings are female, and there鈥檚 not much you can do about them once they鈥檙e airborne.
鈥淲e treat people鈥檚 yards all the time for colonies,鈥� Gabara says. 鈥淚f you treat them early enough in the season, you can kill the nest off. But once they swarm there鈥檚 nothing you can really do. You鈥檙e not going to spray the air.鈥�
And it鈥檚 not just Vancouver. Flying ants have been wreaking havoc on the grassy tennis courts of Wimbledon.
According to the Guardian on Wednesday, Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, was none too pleased by the insects during her 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 second-round loss to Ekaterina Makarova. "They're in my mouth and in my hair and everywhere 鈥� we need to do something. Is there a spray? I want to be here to focus on tennis, not eating bugs."
Even the beautiful game has been marred by insects鈥� wings of desire. At last month鈥檚 World Cup match in Russia between England and Tunisia, players on the pitch covered themselves with bugs spray.
Gabara says at this time of the year his company gets 鈥渓ots of calls鈥� about flying ants, although he didn鈥檛 notice a particular uptick in inquiries yesterday. Not only that, but 麻豆传媒映画can expect many more days to come of hot ant-on-ant action.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to get different hatchings. They鈥檙e not all hatching at once. It鈥檒l go right through until August.鈥�
@Midlifeman1
