Why do flying ant colonies all appear on approximately the same day?

Question

I have heard differing answers to this by two reliable (But clearly not) sources - The Guardian & The Times.

1, It is after the new moon at the time of (or just before) the summer solstace - The flying Ants are reacting to a tidal pressure change.
2, It is a reaction to the sound of rainfall on the surface of the ground - They happen to be breading around the summertime and therefore the first of the summer rains releases them.

I find answer 1 to be much more believable than 2, Mainly because rainfall is not uniform across the country so it is much more likely that the reaction of the Ants is of a tidal origin. However I have never travelled the length of the country on the day that these Flying ants appear so it is possible (However I feel unlikely) that localised rain sets of colonies near to me.

Answer 1

In places like Africa where the temperature and humidity level remains just right day afer day, they just seem to go on and on swarming.

You might be interested to hear what happened one early evening shortly before sunset, as we returned to our little house out there. It had screen doors at front and back, opposite each other, and as we approached from the back that evening, I commented on the brilliance of the low sun shining straight through the two screens, from front to back. But when we got near to the back screen door, we could see it was covered in flying ants trying to get through, under and around it. And against the low sunlight, we could see others flying around inside, thousands of them, and realised there was a swarm of flying ants inside. We walked round to the front and opened that screen and they just streamed out and swarmed away towards the light source. To deal with the ones stuck outside at the back, we just opened the back screen too and let them follow the rest. Not one was left inside. It seems they were merely following the light, taking the route through our house.

Answer 2

I left the house in the morning and came home about tea time to find my back patio doors covered from top to bottom with flying ants... on th inside!

Rather disturbing but I opened the doors and quite a few went outside then had to spray and powder the rest. A trap worked the best though and after a few days they were gone inside completely and there were just a load outside so we did the same with those as they were in and out of the wall.

It was during the floods and we'd had none stop rain followed by maybe 1 or 2 really hot dry days and it was then it happened so I'm assuming the nest is inside the wall and they were waiting for the right temperature to hatch. when it came along they did, big style! They went as quickly as they arrived though.

Answer 3

The bizarre phenomenon occurs every year between July and August, when a combination of heat and humidity signals the start of the ants’ “nuptial flight”.
It often seems to be hot, sultry days when it happens. You find that the ants are often synchronised.
“So, one day they’ll be nothing; the next day, they’ll be millions, with every single nest producing flying ants.”
Reproduction is the driving force behind the mass skyward ascent, as the ants go in search of mates.
Being airborne prevents ants from inbreeding by allowing them to hunt members of the opposite sex over large areas of land, while avoiding members of their own colony.
The male ant always dies after mating takes place and the female ant bites off her wings, returning to earth to find a new nest and found a new colony.
Such colonies are likely to crop up in gardens, parks, under slabs, in pavement cracks and roads or even in homes after the mating season.

Answer 4

It is to do with a certain heat and humidity, when the two are combined, the ants leave the nest to breed and look to re-colonise, a little known fact is that they enjoying the following, they come out to get in our hair, fly into our windscreens and land in our soup, they prefer cider to beer and orange tango is their favourite soft drink. I know this because my friend, Mr.Mark Mywords told me so, and he rarely gets things wrong where flying ants are concerned.

Answer 5

It is dependant on the air temperature, they don't fly very well, so need all the help they can get, so usually it will be a hot summer day when there are good thermals coming off the ground.

Answer 6

Flying ants wait for the right weather condition before flying the nest. I've never seen them flying after rain... always on balmy summers day with little or no wind.

Answer 7

They always seem to fly around mid July. I call it Ant Day!

Answer 8

They wait for the right temperature & humidity. The perfect time is late afternoon/evening when it's very warm & humid. When it's just right, they will leave their nest.

Answer 9

Because they all fly easy jet and Wednesday is the cheapest?

Answer 10

they are all out to have a good time and mate with one another. a bit like may flies