Happy Flying Ant Day to all who celebrate! 

Confused? Don't worry: the quirky moniker makes increasing sense as a slapping-of-arms soundtrack takes over July. Read on for the flying ant low-down.

What is Flying Ant Day?

It's around this time of the year when ant colonies up and down the UK release their reproductive males and young queens, for the purpose of mating. That means millions, if not billions, of ants making use of their wings as they swarm up into the sky.

Rather than a single day, the natural phenomenon stretches over several days or even weeks, as each colony sits tight for the perfect moment to release their mating males and females, maximizing the chances of successfully reproducing. 

However, if all the colonies in an area get the same idea, you could be in for a storm, says pest control expert Leigh Fowler.

"The sudden appearance of large numbers of flying ants happens because multiple colonies often release their winged ants at a similar time when weather conditions are favorable," Fowler tells CGTN. "Warm temperatures, humidity and calm weather conditions can all contribute to triggering this activity."

Do all ants swarm in summer?

While many ant species will swarm, the common black garden ant (Lasius niger) is responsible for the vast majority of flying ant sightings in the UK. In fact, the Royal Biology Society estimates that 90% of all swarming ants belong to this species. 

However, this doesn't mean every single ant up and down the UK will suddenly fly into the air when conditions are just right. 

Only ants that have working reproductive organs partake in the phenomenon, and in a mature ant colony, that's usually less than 1%. The rest of the colony is largely made up of sterile and wingless female worker ants and soldiers. 

It's not just the common black ant you may spot over summer; their cousins, the common European red ant (Myrmica rubra), also reproduce in this manner. You may be less keen to see them, as these ants are known to bite, using their strong jaws to break skin and spray formic acid into a wound. 

A bite might sting for a few hours, but for most, a bit of ice and an antihistamine should do the trick. However, these bites can bring about an allergic reaction: for severe symptoms like chest pains, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, medical attention should be sought immediately.

What happens to the ants?

Across the insect world, the male of the species tends to draw the short straw. With ants, it's no different: after mating, the male drone ant typically dies, while the fertilized females shed their wings and begin to search for a suitable location to establish a new colony.

She will dig underground and build a chamber in which to lay a small, initial batch of 20 or so eggs. Once her first workers mature and a colony is established, the queen will continue to lay eggs for the rest of her life – hundreds of thousands of eggs over an incredible two decades, or even longer.

How much of a problem can these swarms be?

Flying ants are a completely natural phenomenon, often lasting only a few hours at a time. However, a sudden uptick near a home or business could indicate the presence of large established colonies beneath gardens, patios or nearby buildings.

For Ricky Clark, who runs Environ Pest Control across London, it can be a busy time of the year.  

"In many cases it's not because the ants pose a risk, but because the sheer number of flying ants entering homes or businesses can be distressing," Clark says. "[We] often attend properties where occupants have a genuine phobia of ants, and require immediate assistance."

Yet sometimes it's better the devil you know. Exotic and invasive ant species such as Argentine ants, Carpenter ants, Pharaoh ants and Ghost ants have been keeping Clark busy all year round. 

"Unlike our native garden ants, these species don't produce the dramatic mass swarms that people associate with Flying Ant Day and instead tend to establish persistent indoor infestations requiring specialist treatment."

Is global warming affecting this phenomenon?

Warm weather accelerates colony development, and so the recent heatwaves across Europe and the UK could bring the swarming forward by a few weeks. 

It's not just temperature changes to consider; humidity and calm weather are equally important in determining when colonies take flight, says Clark. 

Microclimates will also play a role in when a colony chooses to swarm, meaning that parts of the UK could be covered in ants, while other areas wait their turn.

A different, but connected concern is how the hot weather impacts ant populations in general. While ants are generally adaptable insects, research has shown that warmer temperatures speed up ants' metabolisms, meaning they burn energy faster and require more food. 

This can in turn lead to greater stress and starvation if resources are scarce, impacting a vital layer of British ecosystems.

Moreover, rising temperatures in the UK could encourage invasive species used to warmer climes to establish colonies outdoors, outcompeting native ant populations. The heat-loving Argentine ant is one such critter: they form massive "supercolonies", displacing local ant and insect populations as well as becoming a household and agriculture nuisance.

So while the heatwaves may bring forward Flying Ant Day by a week or two, the deeper concerns lie in the changes we could see across British insect populations as the climate continues to heat up.