Flying ants are set for biggest summer

WARM, WET WEATHER IDEAL FOR HUGE SWARMS, CLAIMS WILDLIFE TRUST

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

WILDLIFE experts in North Wales have warned that swarms of flying ants are this summer set to be amongst the "biggest in recent memory".

It follows ideal breeding conditions for the insects, with warm weather interspersed with wetter spells.

Already swarms have been detected over parts of Britain that were so large, they were mistaken for shower clouds when picked up on radar this week. Near London they appeared as "strange, flashing echoes" on Met Office radar screens.

The forecaster noted: "Radar works by emitting electromagnetic beams that reflect off small particles like raindrops. Flying ants, being similar in size to raindrops, can also reflect these beams, creating radar signatures that resemble precipitation.

"This phenomenon, often seen during "Flying Ant Day," is a fascinating example of how biological activity can intersect with meteorological technology."