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Gardening

Today is flying ant day...

(21 Posts)
Mishap Wed 08-Aug-12 16:53:37

Every year on a certain day millions of flying ants emerge from their nests under the stonework - and they all appear together, even when they are at different ends of the garden. It is like a huge cloud.
Anyone know how to get rid of them that doesn't involve non-child-friendly chemicals?
I have poured boiling water into the nest round the front door frame - seems very cruel, but we do not want them all through the house.

absentgrana Wed 08-Aug-12 16:56:18

Keep your fingers crossed for the swifts who pretty much annihilate them.

Ella46 Wed 08-Aug-12 17:13:44

Mishap we all live on top of ants, they are everywhere, you just don't always see them!
I have them in the house nearly every year depending on the weather. They come up in the kitchen or the living room, and once when I got home from work, they were all over the carpet and up the walls! Yuk!

My father worked in the field of insects and chemicals, and he said they don't do anything, they just look bad!

I tried everything and now I just leave my Little Henry out for a few days and vac them up!

kittylester Wed 08-Aug-12 17:41:29

In your part of the world Mishap it might be flying ant day but in my garden it's giant slug and snail day! I was cutting back the geraniums this morning and there were hundreds and two frogs, too many mosquitoes to count and at least one blinking horse fly which bit me!! sad

grrrranny Wed 08-Aug-12 20:10:47

Er - I just think that if they are flying away, which they are here today, then they aren't here anymore. I must have got that wrong.

Granny23 Wed 08-Aug-12 20:23:37

You learn something new everyday - especially here on Gransnet. My DD had flying ant day yesterday with one or two still flying about today, we have yet to have our turn BUT there were swifts flying over both our gardens and we remarked how unusual that is, we never see swifts here. Then I come on Gransnet and learn that the swifts are on their ant-picking holidays! Ain't nature wonderful.

Maniac Wed 08-Aug-12 20:42:53

Noticed increased ant activity this year.More piles of ants in the lawn and two of my favourite pot plants a seething mass of ants.
Remember when children were school age coming home from a day out and finding the kitchen full of flying ants-very alarming.

eGJ Wed 08-Aug-12 20:54:44

Worst year ever for ants here; we've had 2 "flying ant days" so far!! A couple of weeks ago one huge lot took flight and yesterday a second area took off in a black cloud. Lawn is riddled with ant heaps and they are farming aphids up the roses! Yesterday at DDs used her "Henry" to absorb about a thousand ants, sealed bag and disposed if it in sealed black bin back - hers all had wings and were invading the conservatory.................AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH just by where 3 GC play.

Henrietta Wed 08-Aug-12 20:59:45

I had flying ant day a couple of days ago. I thought it was just me....

Anagram Wed 08-Aug-12 21:05:13

Ours was last week - they came out of the brickwork outside the dining-room window and were crawling up it in their hundreds.....I felt itchy all day!

tanith Wed 08-Aug-12 21:29:43

First flying ant day today here but it was only a few , maybe tomorrow as its going to be hotter...I haven't noticed any more than usual though

Annobel Wed 08-Aug-12 21:31:43

None here, or they would surely have shown up on my pristine white sheets on the washing line.

Ella46 Wed 08-Aug-12 22:06:34

I've not had any sign yet and usually there are one or two early soldiers doing a reccy.
Maybe it's my turn for a year off, [fingers crossed emo]

glammanana Thu 09-Aug-12 14:15:32

Flying ant day to-day swarms of the things outside at the end of our pathway to the carpark,need to run the gauntlet to get into the car.Makes me itch just to think about them.uugh

nanaej Thu 09-Aug-12 14:49:18

we had flying ant day a while ago! must be regional!

GoldenGran Thu 09-Aug-12 15:13:06

We had them yesterday, yergh, they make me itch too. They have all gone today, do they make a tour of Britain?

trishs Thu 09-Aug-12 16:02:59

ditto nanaej smile
I think ants are in their element this year though, but very few butterflies so far, sadly.

Annobel Thu 09-Aug-12 16:29:49

No ants here yet!

Annika Thu 09-Aug-12 16:50:06

Just came in from the garden, have been chased in here by flying ants ! shock

goldengirl Fri 10-Aug-12 10:30:58

Our flying ant day was on 8 August. You couldn't move for them. They were packed together on a white pipe in one part of the garden and looked absolutely gross. It's weird that it happens on just one day - although that day seems to vary from region to region. I don't know much about ants but they're certainly industrious little critters.

Anagram Sat 11-Aug-12 11:24:09

This article is interesting if, like me, you didn't really know much about flying ants.

www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/cleared-for-takeoff-its-the-day-of-the-flying-ants-7966292.html