Biblical swarms of horny flying ants so huge they’re 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 winged terrors often emerge in mass for their aerial orgies, hence why it seems like they’ve come out all at once.

The resultant swarms can hit like a Biblical plague, covering motorists’ windshields and forcing homeowners to shut their doors and windows, despite the oppressive heat.

In past years, this bug bonanza has even descended upon the tennis courts at Wimbledon, causing players to choke on them and swat them with their rackets.

In 2018, Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki complained to the umpire after getting beset by the ants mid-match.

“Can you do something? I’m here to play tennis and not eating bugs,” Wozniacki reportedly told ref.

Experts claim homeowners can keep the bugs away from flower beds using vinegar, although they feel its best to leave them to birds such as seagulls and martins, which flock together to feast on the creatures.

“Let the birds handle the clean-up for you, keeping your garden safe and avoiding chemicals entirely,” Mark Dwelly, the head gardener at the 32-acre Audley Standbridge Earls retirement village in Hampshire, told the Telegraph. “Flying ants are a vital, high-protein snack for swifts, swallows and seagulls.”

He added, “You might even spot seagulls doing a strange tap dance on your grass, a clever trick that mimics rain vibrations to trick the ants into crawling out of the ground.”