What is Flying Ant Day and will it come early this year?

Have you seen any flying ants yet this year?

Every summer, millions of the insects can be seen taking to the skies across the UK, as part of one of nature's more surprising events.

However, June can seem a little early to see winged ants around, leading some people to wonder whether they're appearing sooner than usual.

Experts say the recent spell of warm weather could be one reason why some flying ants are starting to emerge.

But what exactly is Flying Ant Day, and could it arrive earlier this year?

Keep reading to find out, and let us know in the comments below if you've spotted any winged or flying ants recently..

Flying Ant Day usually arrives around mid-July as the queens emerge and travel to set up new colonies.

Most ants that we see don't have wings but the queens and males do.

The name 'Flying Ant Day' might make it sound like it happens on a specific date, but that's not the case.

Professor Adam Hart, from the Royal Entomological Society, explained to Newsround: "Flying Ant Day isn't actually a single day, but a period during the summer when ant colonies in a local area release their winged males and queens to mate."

During this time, thousands of ants leave their nests and fly into the air.

Although there is no such thing as a specific 'Ant Day', scientists have found that ants are good at short term weather prediction so chose a warm and calm day to travel.

This is often in mid to late summer in the UK, but it can vary across the country.

Professor Hart added: "Warm weather is one of the key triggers for these flights, and a spell of higher temperatures, especially combined with low wind, provides ideal circumstances for colonies to take to the air."

Because different ant colonies emerge at different times, Flying Ant Day can actually happen over several days or even weeks during the summer.

Some people say they've already noticed winged ants appearing this year.

Professor Hart said that the warmer temperatures the UK has been experiencing could be one reason why.

"If we are seeing flying ants a little earlier this year - and I suspect we might - the recent warm weather is certainly a plausible explanation.

"Insects are strongly influenced by temperature, and warmer conditions can accelerate their development and bring important life-cycle events forward."

However, he added that it is important not to jump to conclusions based on a single year.

Flying ant activity can naturally vary from summer to summer, sometimes by days or even weeks.

Scientists are more interested in looking at patterns over many years to see whether flying ants are appearing earlier than they used to.

Professor Hart explained this type of research could help experts understand how a warming climate might be affecting seasonal events in nature.

Did you know, there are more than one hundred trillion ants on Earth.

This is equivalent to approximately 14,000 ants for every human.

In fact, if you weighed every human and all the ants, the scales would balance.

Scientists say the insects are an important part of the ecosystem, both as predators and as prey.

Lots of mammals and birds, such as swifts and gulls, rely on them as a food source.

When ants build their colonies, they dig huge tunnels underground, which help oxygen, water and nutrients get into the soil, keeping it healthy.

Have you spotted any winged ants on the ground, or flying around yet? Let us know in the comments below.