Every year there is ‘flying ant day’ – although it is usually a lot more than a single day. This is when the small black garden ant takes to the air for aerial sex – yes, love is in the air!
The video above from the Sussex Wildlife Trust shows some of what is happening.
Males and virgin females take to the air in huge numbers and the females will mate with several males before coming to earth, shedding their wings, and setting up new colonies for the following year. It’s one of the natural phenomena of the the year and it’s rather impressive.
Yesterday I switched on the tennis from Wimbledon while I was having a late lunch, even though I’m really not very interested in tennis, and was transfixed by the super filming of the ants by BBC sports camera people and rather revolted by the BBC commentary which was along the lines of reaching for the ant powder immediately.
The Daily Telegraph describes the ants as a ‘plague’ which caused ‘anguish’ to the players who earn £35,000 for even being at the Wimbledon tournament and get another £22k if they fight their way past one opponent and some tiny insects.
I enjoyed the ants very much – and I even stayed on to watch Britain’s Jo Konta (born in Sydney) beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic (born in Croatia) because, despite myself, I’d become interested in who won. We must all thank the ants for my interest yesterday.
The reaction to the ants, which I can see must have been a bit annoying to the players, rather sums up our reaction to nature. How dare it intervene in our lives! It belongs on the TV and under an Attenborough commentary, preferably from some far off land. How dare it go about its life and death business while we are batting a ball over a net to make money. How disgusting of nature to behave that way! Ugh!
Queen ant said ‘You take to the air to have sex with lots of hunky guys on a hot summer’s day and everyone starts moaning. That’s the trouble with people! We’ve been putting on this show for thousands of years and all of a sudden everybody is complaining. I don’t complain about your mating habits so please don’t point the finger at mine.‘
I might put the TV on this afternoon just to see if the ants are there again, if not, I’ll probably do some writing.
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Perhaps if we all thank the BBC for their FAD coverage then they’ll see there’s an interest in nature not well paid ‘celebrities’?
Joanna Konta, to her credit didn’t raise the ants as a problem in her later interview…possibly if she’d lost she might have had a different response. She said she’d definitely eaten some and they made a joke about her ‘lean protein diet’.
General media coverage of wildlife is getting terrible. A recent contributor of a brilliant photo of paired adders in Scotland to the BBC Scotland Your Photos was praised for not “running for the hills” when he saw them. I know its light-hearted but the clichéd reaction to snakes, sharks, spiders and now ants etc. is all a bit lazy and tiresome. Couldn’t they have just said what great job to get such a brilliant picture of a fantastic animal that’s usually off the moment it detects anybody near?
My two young daughters spent hours once, sitting on our front lawn, watching the winged ants leave their nest in the sandy soil and take flight. They were fascinated and had to “help” the ones which were struggling to get airborne. I didn’t mention it was a mating flight. I’m just a coward. Could have done with Chris Packham along to explain!
Better than watching TV anyway.
Good for you. You are ‘Standing up for Nature’ indeed today. How typical the main response to the ants is – overvaluing priorities vs nature’s needs. Assuming the world should be organised for our convenience and getting outraged when it isn’t! Good to hear the children are appreciating them.
The Today programme covered it in their usual ‘excellent’ way this morning, with the communications director from Buglife. BBC winning over no-one to the side of the ants with their wonderful journalism.