Flying Ants

If you want to know whether you have found a flying ant or a flying termite, you can begin by looking at the insect’s body. A flying ant will always have three clearly distinct body parts, regardless of species. Head, chest (thorax) and tail (abdomen) are separated. A flying termite on the other hand, will only have to body distinct body parts – head and body. They do not feature a chest (thorax).

Another way of distinguishing the flying ant from the flying termite is to look at the legs. If all the legs are attached to the chest (thorax) right behind the head, you are looking at a flying ant. If the legs are instead attached along the entire length of the body, you are looking at a flying termite.

The flying ant has bended antennae, while the flying termite has sweeping antennae. The bend is very obvious and almost 90 degree in the flying ant. In the flying termite, the antennae will only display a general sweep forward.

If the double-set wings of the flying insect are of unequal lenght, you are looking at a flying ant. If the double-set wings are of equal length, you are instead looking at a flying termite. Noticing this difference can however be somewhat tricky since both flying ants and flying termites often have their wings folded back along the body.

Flying Ant Day is not an official holiday celebrated by etymologists; it is an informal term used to describe a day when flying ants emerge from the nest to mate. In most ant species´, the queen ants will emerge with male ants flying alongside them. Male flying ants tend to be smaller than the females. Some queens fly only a few metres, while others can traverse vast distances during flying ant day. When they have mated, they will loose their wings and end up on the ground. Now it is time for them to establish a new colony.
Flying ant day can be a highly noticeable event, since local weather conditions usually cause a high number of local colonies to emerge simultaneously. The event seems to be highly dependant on temperature, windspeed and humidity. Emerging simultaneously will reduce the risk of being consumed by predators since their will be much more flying ants to choose among. It will naturally also be easier for queens and males from different colonies to meet if flying ants from many colonies choose the same day.