The internet was abuzz yesterday with reports of flying ants enjoying a “nuptial flight” across the city. Photo iStock
On Wednesday, Vancouver was abuzz with reports of flying insects taking to the skies and pestering the population. But it wasn’t 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… getting it on.
Happy Flying Ant Day to the Vancouver area! Here’s 30 queens I caught only on the short path in my yard. pic.twitter.com/Q8DK76Tnfz
— Danielle Hoefele (@dhoefele) July 5, 2018
Have to hand it to #Marvel getting every Flying Ant nest in Vancouver to hatch at the same moment yesterday. Just in time for #AntManAndTheWasp
— Rob Hodkinson (@RobHodkinson) July 5, 2018
Hey, Vancouver! Heard you like flying ants! On your face! In your hair! EVERYWHERE!!! ?
— Nick Routley (@Phanyxx) July 5, 2018
Hi David - I can confirm it’s Flying Ant day here in North Vancouver too. How very mysterious..... pic.twitter.com/N3gUm5jaW5
— Richard Rootes (@richrootes) July 5, 2018
According to Joe Gabara of Vancouver Pest Control Ltd., tis the season for cornfield ants to grow wings, take to the friendly skies and make the beast with two backs — otherwise known as a “nuptial flight.”
“This 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.”
In case you were wondering, the ants with the larger wings are female, and there’s not much you can do about them once they’re airborne.
“We treat people’s yards all the time for colonies,” Gabara says. “If you treat them early enough in the season, you can kill the nest off. But once they swarm there’s nothing you can really do. You’re not going to spray the air.”
And it’s 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 — 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’ wings of desire. At last month’s 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 “lots of calls” about flying ants, although he didn’t notice a particular uptick in inquiries yesterday. Not only that, but Vancouver can expect many more days to come of hot ant-on-ant action.
“You’re going to get different hatchings. They’re not all hatching at once. It’ll go right through until August.”
@Midlifeman1
