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It’s been a particularly muggy week in Hong Kong, and if you’ve spotted a sudden cloud of winged insects outside your flat, you’re not imagining it. Swarms of flying ants have been appearing in droves recently, with sightings coming in thick and fast from across the territory.
It’s dramatic to watch, and while they’re usually a fairly common sight in Hong Kong, reports of overwhelmingly large swarms have been coming in from all corners of the city, spanning from greener patches in the New Territories such as Tseung Kwan O and Sha Tin, to denser neighbourhoods like Mong Kok and Kwun Tong. In some cases, they’ve even made it into people’s homes.
The good news here is that this isn’t the start of an infestation apocalypse. It turns out we’re right in the thick of the nuptial flight season. Between April and September, especially on humid days before a summer rainstorm – which, frankly, makes Hong Kong an ideal breeding ground – these insects take to the skies to find a mate and start a new colony. Chairman of the Pest Control Personnel Association Peter Leung Kwong-yuen has also said that the wind can carry them right up to the higher floors of residential towers, which is where the real concern lies for most of us.
While many people call them flying ants, a large portion of the swarms seen in Hong Kong are actually subterranean termites. If they manage to slip inside, shed their wings, and find a nice damp corner, they can start reproducing. To make your home less inviting for these pesky flyers, shut the windows and kill the lights. If a few have already breached the perimeter, try placing a bowl of soapy water under a desk lamp or flashlight to lure and trap them. Alternatively, a vacuum or bug spray (the ones that kill, not repel) can deal with them in large numbers.
Since these insects thrive in the damp, your best line of defence is to keep the dehumidifier running, avoid leaving standing water around sinks or bathrooms, and seal up any gaps around windows and vents. In other words, keep your house clean and dry, and hope they find someone else’s living room more hospitable for their romantic rendezvous. May the odds (and the humidity levels) be ever in your favour.
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