The meteorological office said it was an annual feature known as “nuptial day” when swarms of the flying insects descend on towns and cities across the UK as males and queens leave their nests in search of mates.
“During the summer ants can take to the skies in a mass emergence usually on warm, humid and windless days", said the Met office.
It's not raining in London, Kent or Sussex, but our radar says otherwise...📡
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 17, 2020
The radar is actually picking up a swarm of #flyingants across the southeast 🐜
During the summer ants can take to the skies in a mass emergence usually on warm, humid and windless days #flyingantday pic.twitter.com/aMF6RxR943
Britons swarmed social media, complaining that now they have another reason to wear face masks to save themselves from these flying insects.
Flying ants! The facemask is finding an unexpected secondary use!#Masks #FlyingAnts #flyingantday
— Neil Denham (@NeilDenham1978) July 17, 2020
If you needed another apocalyptic reason to wear a mask I can confirm (in East London at least)... it’s flying ant day.
— Louise Adams 🔆 (@Shladams) July 12, 2020
While others said it is their day in London
Attention swifts! It’s flying ant day in SW London — easy pickings! #barnes #barnescommon pic.twitter.com/80nzGaRZTa
— Tony White (@tony_white_) July 12, 2020
India, Pakistan, and several African countries have been affected by large swarms of crop-devouring short-horned insects known as locusts since the last week of April. One-square-kilometre contains up to 40 million insects and they travel fast, sometimes up to 400 kilometres per day.
