Biblical swarms of horny flying ants so huge theyre mistaken for rain on radar

Don’t get caught in the fly of the storm.The UK is being besieged by biblical swarms of horny flying ants that are so numerous they’re being mistaken for rain by weather sensors.“It is relatively common at some point in the year to see the brief influence of flying ants on radar imagery, often appearing as short-lived pockets of drizzle on radar,” a Met spokesperson told the Telegraph while discussing the meteorological anomaly.Accompanying photos of the weather map show the blue patches of black garden ants, which are almost indistinguishable from the cobalt blotches denoting a downpour.Known as alates, these giant winged ants trigger these false readings because they’re similar in size to rain drops and reflect the radar beams in the same way.These critters can also congregate in up to 50-mile-wide swathes, which can be mistaken for clouds.While these alleged insect squalls usually amass in July and August amid windless, hot and humid conditions, they’ve emerged prematurely due to the UK’s record-breaking heatwave over the past several weeks.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no single “ant day” when they all emerge, but they can rather come out throughout the summer through September — although activity is projected to peak in late July.In fact, the Met rep claimed that they can generally tell a bug monsoon from its watery counterpart as the former generally occurs “when it’s warmer and brighter.”“It doesn’t impact the weather forecast,” they said.“It’s quite simple to identify, not least because of the lack of rain in the rainfall gauges on the ground.”These particular swarms occur when the sexually mature queens — which can measure over a third of an inch long — leave the nest to establish new colonies.

They sprout wings and emerge from the underground along with their smaller winged males so they can mate, often in mid-air, in a ritual known as a nuptial flight.During the aforementioned weather conditions, these w...