Why do all the flying ants come out at the same time?

Question

I can understand one nest but ALL the nests seem to have come out today. How do they know the time to come out?

Answer 1

Time of year. Temperature. Humidity.

Answer 2

they are what is called drones thy kick them the out because they surplus to requirements they do nothing just bread with the queen they move on with a new queen their wings fall off in a day or two

Answer 3

It's the perfect breeding time for ALL ants, just because they're from a different nest doesn't mean that they have different breeding times. It's all dependant on the time of year and they only have a small window in which to do it. The case might be totally different in another part of the country though as it may be a bit cooler in the North and not quite an ideal time for the ants in that locality.

The same will happen at the end of summer with the Daddy Long Legs. The same happens in May with the Mayflies and the Maybugs.

Answer 4

when its warm enough its because in one ants nest there should only be one queen bee, when there becomes more than one then one takes some from the nest and move onto build another nest. it must be the heat that lets them know it is the right time to do this

Answer 5

I noticed that today!

I just went up to my roof terrace for a smoke and it literally looked as though the floor was moving!

Its been quite hot and sticky today so that must be it

Answer 6

mating season activated by the temperature,humidity and moisture of there surroundings tells them when it is summer and they all come out to find a partner to reproduce with. this is built into there nature

Answer 7

I'd be willing to bet that what you're seeing isn't ants at all, it's termites, and they're swarming as part of their breeding cycle.  "Flying ants" is one of the things to look for if you think you have termites.