What's with all the ants(?) on the car ?

fineso.mom

My friends car is parked outside my house. It's been crawling with insects all day. Are they flying ants? There were none on my car. Her car is grey and mine is black. Just wondering why they are crawling all over hers and not mine.
And,hoping they are not going to come into the house!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's just the annual swarm when ants sprout wings and leave to set up new colonies. The temp and humidity trigger it.

john the one

All over drumcondra.

Keplar240B

A black car would be hotter than a greyish car on a sunny clear day.
Also maybe their colonies are closer to where she is parked,
its also possible there is a colony in the car that would be very unlikely though but not unheard of.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Keplar240B wrote: »

A black car would be hotter than a greyish car on a sunny clear day.
Also maybe their colonies are closer to where she is parked,
its also possible there is a colony in the car that would be very unlikely though but not unheard of.

Nothing to do with the colour or heat of the car. It was beside the emerging nest.

fineso.mom

Keplar240B wrote: »

A black car would be hotter than a greyish car on a sunny clear day.
Also maybe their colonies are closer to where she is parked,
its also possible there is a colony in the car that would be very unlikely though but not unheard of.

Well if there is a colony in the car my friend will have a nervous breakdown 😊 she hates 'creepy crawlies'.
The car is going for an nct Tuesday.i hope an ant colony is not a fail 😊
Thanks for all the replies everyone.

Birdnuts

Big numbers about Blessington today too. God love them its been a wicked cold/wet summer so they probably all went at it like hell on the first half decent day for ages in terms of temp and humidity

Keplar240B

Bryant Lemon Snobbishness wrote: »

Nothing to do with the colour or heat of the car. It was beside the emerging nest.

It is well known that temperature has a pervasive effect on insects. Nearly every aspect of an insect’s life is influenced by temperature, from direct effects on the kinetics of enzymatic reactions, to defining the limits of physiological function and behavior, and ultimately to shaping of evolutionary pathways. As a group, insects, more than any other eukaryotic taxon, have evolved not only to survive but to flourish in a wide variety of thermal environments.

Data has shown the painted surfaces of cars in direct sunlight can vary by a large amount between a white and black car. The difference 13.33 degrees according to one study.

If the colony was located at a half way point between two such cars , the ants may well choose the cooler surface to swarm and launch from.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Keplar240B wrote: »

It is well known that temperature has a pervasive effect on insects. Nearly every aspect of an insect’s life is influenced by temperature, from direct effects on the kinetics of enzymatic reactions, to defining the limits of physiological function and behavior, and ultimately to shaping of evolutionary pathways. As a group, insects, more than any other eukaryotic taxon, have evolved not only to survive but to flourish in a wide variety of thermal environments.

Data has shown the painted surfaces of cars in direct sunlight can vary by a large amount between a white and black car. The difference 13.33 degrees according to one study.

If the colony was located at a half way point between two such cars , the ants may well choose the cooler surface to swarm and launch from.

Yes, temperature determines when the swarm occurs, and I have said that. It does not however determine the surface they will then alight on.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Birdnuts wrote: »

Big numbers about Blessington today too. God love them its been a wicked cold/wet summer so they probably all went at it like hell on the first half decent day for ages in terms of temp and humidity

It's not a conscious decision to make the best of a bad lot. When conditions are right, they are right and the ants swarm.