Flying ant day has hit just as the UK is in the grips of an intense heatwave. Just look at them:
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When people say the heat hits differently in England, they're not wrong. And by hits differently, we mean being attacked by flying ants while you fight off sunburn.
Just as the Met Office has issued a red weather warning for heat, flying ants are here to remind us that we might be living in a literal hell.
For those of you unsure what flying ant day is, let us break down the worst holiday of the year.
So, flying ant day is a day where the pesky winged critters leave their colony to mate.
Specifically, queen ants, which are like worker ants that you see all year round, but these are bigger and have wings.
In an effort to start their own colony, they then mate with male ants and lay a bunch of eggs that burrow into the ground so the same thing can happen next year.
It's an awful, awful cycle.
Extremely happy that my family were in the UK for the very special just-once-per-year Flying Ant Day
— Andy McLoughlin (@Bandrew) July 16, 2022
While there's no set date for flying ant day, the public disturbance normally happens part way through summer, just as the weather gets nice, just in case it wasn't already clear ants don't care about you.
Right, now we know what it is, what do we do?
Staying indoors is the best advice, because when we say the ants are everywhere, we mean they will cling to your body as you desperately try to top up your sun tan.
Also, it's not really worth the effort to get rid of them because they normally all leave again after a day or so, if you can just bear with the annoyance for a bit.
Imagine how good it will be if Boris Johnson leaves number 10 on Flying Ant Day. Double celebration. Absolute carnage.
— Gus The Fox (@GusTheFox) July 6, 2022
Still, even though their presence is short-lived, their ability to wind people up is strong.
People took to Twitter to share their frustration, with one user writing: "I love my patio & garden; it's warm the sun is shining, secluded so swimwear all day, view of trees and sky, ice lollies in the freezer, paddling pool set up, 24° already. Edit: it's flying ant day."
While another had a sneaking suspicion the tiny creatures would ruin the hottest day of the year (so far): "Ermm... They wouldn't... Would they?! But just seen one...So I have a horrible feeling...The hottest day of the year might also be...FLYING ANT DAY!!!"
Another said that we should just leave the ants to it: "Your annual reminder that flying ant day(s) is the one time when ants are trying to get laid.....the ONE time. So shut up complaining & let them have their seconds of pleasure....oh & if you pour boiling water or ant killer down on a nest you're a c**t."
So, basically, try to enjoy the sun, stay hydrated, and don't kill the ants, even though they're really annoying.
