Flying ants??

Question

The weather is just warming up and now everywhere i go i keep seeing flying ants but doesn't a flying ant just make it a fly i mean think about it when a fly is born when it grows up we don't call it a flying maggot do we so i don't understand why we call them flying ants do you??

Answer 1

Because they are ants that fly.

Answer 2

Maybe it's because they're an ant and they have wings to fly with so we call them flying ants!!! Ever thought of that one!!! Didn't think so!!!

Answer 3

because people haven't thought about it before

Answer 4

The ants you're referring to are supposed to be "white ants", it's a fairly common phenomenon across Africa where some communities actually eat them. They tend to have a slightly more elongated body than "conventional ants" and are generally overall larger in size. They do have a tendency to come out of anthills in certain weather conditions. perhaps that's why they bear the name. Termites also tend to come out of anthills and yet they are not called ants...