Flying ants to swarm over Wakefield as temperatures rise - but there is something you can do to battle them

It's that time again - swarms of flying ants are set to pay an unwelcome visit as temperatures rise.

Friday, 16th July 2021, 10:06 am

Flying Ant Day comes once a year each summer when thousands of the 'sexually mature' insects swarm looking for a mate, causing a general annoyance to everyone in their vicinity.

The large swarm is to increase chances of reproduction, according to the Society of Biology.

The Natural History Museum say the insects have one "nuptial flight" each summer, usually in urban areas and coinciding with hot and humid weather.

Temperatures have been rising this week, with it set to rise even higher over the weekend, meaning we might just see more of the pesky bugs.

But there IS something you can do to battle them.

Here’s how:

1. Washing up liquid

Ants can’t stand washing up liquid because it attaches to their bodies and dehydrates them.

Mix a little with water, put into a spray bottle and squirt it into their direction. A non-lethal deterrent

2. Get ant powder and place it around doors and windows

Ant killing powders work on a slow-release basis. Instead of killing ants instantly, the insects take the powder (which they find delicious) back to their nest and share it.

A day later, every ant dies when the poison takes effect. Ruthless. Putting a little around your doorways and windows will keep your house ant-free.

3. Use artificial sweetener

Mixing artificial sweetener with apple juice makes a thick paste that’s toxic for ants.

Luring them in with the mixture will result in them carrying it back to the colony, other ants eating it, and a portion of the population being killed off.

The warnings come after the Met Office radar detected millions of bugs flying across the city last week during the finals of Wimbledon and the UEFA European Football Championship.

It tweeted: “Whilst there are a few rain showers, many of the echoes [on radar] are in fact insects.”