The Hatch

During our first summer living here, we were outside on the deck when all of a sudden, we were covered in flying ants. We looked up and saw a big black cloud of ants POURING from one of our trees! There were thousands! TENS of thousands, even. It was disgusting. We had to run inside and shut all the doors and windows.

It was obviously an insect hatch. I don't know how it happens but they all must mature at the same time, and all "fly the coop" together.
I thought it was a freak event, but it happened the next summer too. Needless to say, we were expecting it again this year, but we never can remember exactly when it happens (until now, because I'm blogging about it).

Well...

I got home from work yesterday after picking Nathan up from my Mom's. Both of us were soooo hot due to the heat wave we're having. I had planned for us to go out in the backyard and swim in the "cold tub" to escape the heat.
I opened the back door and thought, "that's odd. Why is the porch so dirty?".

Then I noticed that the dirt was moving.

"That's not dirt! Ohhh...it's hatch time".
So instead of cooling off in the refreshing water, we had to hole ourselves up in the 30 degree house with all the windows and doors shut until close to bedtime.

It only lasts for one day, and we don't even notice them at all after it happens, so I don't know where they all go. But we are left with the carnage of a thousand or so weak ones that don't survive on our porch. The spiders who make their webs on our porch love it though. There were two webs there yesterday. One had 7 ants all bundled up in silk and the other had 9! They get so fat from their yearly buffet.

So I guess I know when to expect it next year.