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Maidstone: Flying Ant Day comes to county town much to dismay of residents

By: Natalie Tipping

Published: 17:30, 05 August 2016

Don't panic Pokemon Go fans, you haven't slipped into an alternate universe - it's just Flying Ant Day.

Swarms of the bugs have been spotted decorating the pavements of Maidstone today, causing much discomfort for locals.

Flying ants are just regular ants that have grown wings during the mating season.

The recent warm weather is the most likely cause of the plague that has descended, with the critters being spotted in beer gardens, on the streets, and even inside shops and businesses.

The swarms are created by young queen ants leaving their nests to form new colonies.

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The males grow wings in order to follow the queen to the new colony.

Once she has mated, the female loses her wings and goes underground to start a new nest.

But there is some good news, the males of the species only live for a day or two. So the infestation shouldn't last long.

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