[Rickoza]

Big wad of ants took flight from a nest in my back garden yesterday. It's a sight I'd never seen before so it was fascinating to watch hundreds of them coming out of a crack in the ground and taking flight. Given the last decent weather we had was mid-June I'm surprised it took them until now to think Summer had finished!

[scrapemedic]

yep, they where flying here today too. I still don't think its because they think summer has ended as this is the second lot thats taken to the skies. In fact it was getting warmer this afternoon than it has been all week.

[Halo]

Ants were swarming out of cracks in the path yesterday (8 August 2010), hundreds of winged male and females taking off to mate. A lot of the activity seemed to occur between 5pm and 6pm.

[Nigel Bolton]

Swarming here big-time this evening. Black ants and common yellow ants all flying at the same time. Amazing how quickly they all seemed to erupt from each nest- one minute nothing, the next shimmering areas of gossamer wings.

The end of summer is nigh.

N.

[John Mason]

Same here in Mach, Nigel - very many of them swarming here this afternoon. I had to disentangle a few from my hair!

Cheers - John 

[Nigel Bolton]

The compost heap swarm was by far the largest. Interesting, as I thought I had eradicated this particular nest by turning. Also, patch of broad beans adjacent to heap were totally untouched by black-fly, unusual when black ants are local.

N. 

[Nigel Bolton]

Ants have all but disappeared since their last swarming. However, there may be a brief resurgance this week as the weather temporarily warms up.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Turned the compost heap today. A surprisingly large pupated nest within. No winged ants, but plenty of workers.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

They are back.

The nest in the compost heap has re-emerged, though I turned the heap and disturbed the nest. Not too active at present. A couple of common yellow ant heaps have appeared on the lawn. The rain and humidity of the past couple of days has obviously made conditions right for throwing soil.

I am hoping last year's blitz on nests means I will only find a few nests this year. So far, I have seen no ants on the driveway yet this year, which is unusual.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Recent heavy rain and deep soil percolation has got the ants busy. Some large ant hills have appeared in the past few days, including one under the kitchen window.

More worrying was this nest was already holding masses of pupated queens, suggesting the potential for very early swarming this year, or worse still, a double swarm.

N.

[John Mason]

Black ants are everywhere this year - really on a mission!

Cheers - John

[StephenS]

Early swarming very much on the cards - there were some ants on the wing in Normandy when we were there two weeks ago!

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

John Mason - 10/5/2011 19:26

Black ants are everywhere this year - really on a mission!

Cheers - John

Try and keep these ants in check John. These are the blighters that farm aphids.

N.

[chrisips]

Got very humid here this afternoon as the cloud has got thicker, which has kicked off swarms of flying ants coming out everywhere.

[Paul Corfield]

Yes, plenty of them flying here today and the humidity is horrible, been humid all day.

Paul.

[Lightning Hunter]

One of the warmest days of the year here today. Little wind and almost unbroken sunshine, together with high humidity. Ants everywhere too.

[Nigel Bolton]

Were swarming in the Exe valley, but a couple of hundred feet of extra altitude, and they were not.

N.

[Bazmundo]

Still waiting to report on the annual nest under the rose. However, still no sign of the enemy? [hmmm]

[Nigel Bolton]

Black ant nests expanding very rapidly. Found a monster nest yesterday under a piece of roofing felt, literally thousands of insects and piles upon piles of eggs, larvae and pupae. Could be a very 'antsy' summer.

N.

[Nigel Bolton]

Black ants have now gone mega-ballistic. Obviously moist ground and today's sunshine have got them very active indeed. Many nests now with high populations.

N.