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'Flying Ant Day': Metro Vancouver marks the start of 'winged season' (VIDEOS)

Have you spotted a massive ant orgy in town?
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert
flying-ant-day-vancouver-july-2021
While it isn't an official holiday, "flying ant day" is fairly notorious in Metro Vancouver. Residents share videos of the insect event in July 2021.Photo via nickalbi / Getty Images

Have you noticed swarms of flying ants lately?

While it isn't an official holiday, "flying ant day" is fairly notorious in Metro Vancouver. 

What in the world is 'flying ant day'? 

While it's hard to pin down an official date for the annual aerial insect affair, there are a few days each year that seem to see an extraordinary number of the petite creatures take to the skies (or crawl around in droves). 

Flying ant season - otherwise known as the great 'ant-pocolypse,' or, more commonly, 'flying ant day' - is the time of year when swarms of flying ants procreate. Of course, this doesn't take place all on one day, but it often feels as if the chaos manifests out of thin air; one day there isn't an ant insight and the next they are virtually everywhere.

Here's an example of the procreation party from a couple of years ago. 

Busy 'getting busy'

According to Vancouver Pest Control Ltd., the swarms continue through the summer into August, which means that "flying ant season" lasts far longer than some people imagine. With this in mind, they usually don't cause any harm to people - they're just busy 'getting busy.' However, they can create problems once inside the home.

So, if you find wings in your home, contact a pest control company that will determine if you have a colony (or colonies) in your space.

There hasn't been an official announcement, but several Metro Vancouverites have announced the beginning of the yearly invasion on social media.