What a swarm

The swarm

I found this in my pool yesterday morning. Any water in my yard had more of them. I remember something like this last year but I don't have a clue what triggers this.

How do the ants know it’s time to emerge? The weather, mainly. “As it gets towards June, the colony starts producing flying ants, [which are] these reproductive males and females,” explains Hart. “The females will start a new colony and when it’s warm they emerge en masse. They fly into the air and the males mate with the females. The females drop to the ground, lose their wings and, if they survive the birds, start a new nest.”

Pou

I'd never paid attention to Pou when kids talk about him/it. Today Nahima was playing with mom's CEL and she showed me the game. First, she scratched his stomach and he giggled. Then she talked a bunch of gibberish and Pou repeated the sounds. Then I had to talk to it and my words got repeated. Lorena said he can do a bunch more things. Someday I'll let them show me.

Flying ants can't swim

They must have swarmed last night because the pool was covered with them this morning. I remember seeing what I think were Termites after a swarm up in Jocotepec but they were much smaller and didn't need to drown to die. The only good sized ants here are leaf cutter but these are larger .... so what are they? I did find the info below that says winged ants are usually larger than the worker ants so they could be leaf cutter.

After a nocturnal nuptial flight

Periodically, usually following by 3-5 days a heavy rain, the winged reproductive forms emerge from the colony in large swarms. Such swarming behavior is usually synchronized by other nearby colonies so large numbers of winged ants suddenly appear. All mating for the species takes place, often over the course of a single day. The males die and the mated females disperse to attempt establishing a new colony.

Alates (winged ants) are typically larger than the worker caste of wingless, sterile females, so are more noticeable for that reason as well.