Winged ants take flight in Montreal

MONTREAL – For the past few weeks social media has been abuzz about a particular insect, that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Giant flying ants have been reportedly found in people’s food, hair and floating in swimming pools in and around the Island of Montreal.

So where did these bugs come from?

“During the summer, the winged ants leave the nest and take flight to mate,” explained Entomologist, Marjolaine Giroux from the Montreal Insectarium.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "During the summer, the winged ants leave the nest and take flight to mate," explained Entomologist, Marjolaine Giroux from the <a href="http://espacepourlavie.ca/en/insectarium" target="_blank">Montreal Insectarium</a>.

“The males die soon after mating and future queens begin looking for an appropriate place to start a new colony.”

In a nutshell, enormous numbers of flying ants take advantage of the hot weather to perform a ritual known as nuptial flight.

And #NowWeKnow

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