Swarms of flying ants have descended on Leicestershire – and with muggy weather set to continue, experts say the worst could be yet to come.

Colonies of the insects are a common summer phenomenon, as they fly out to mate when the weather is hot and humid.

Jon Rudbach, of Leicester City Council's pest control team, said he was expecting to be inundated with calls about the ants over the coming days.

He said: "I was in my garden last night and they were all over the place, so I thought I would be getting lots of calls.

"Over the next few days, we could end up with quite a problem.

"It's the correct humidity and temperature for them.

"We had one call on Tuesday from someone asking about them in Beaumont Leys.

"Beaumont Leys is a particularly fertile area for ants because it was built on an old sewage farm."

Mr Rudbach advised people to use normal insect spray to get rid of flying ants in their homes.

He said: "Make sure you use a spray that's suitable for flying and crawling insects.

"Also, keep the windows open and let them fly out."

John Anderson, owner of Leicestershire Pest Control, said: "I heard that there were a lot of flying ants around Wigston. There are a lot of nests there.

"We're talking about thousands of ants here, so there's not much you can do.

"A lot of eggs tend to hatch at this time of the year, during dry days.

"It's these type of days that are the best times for the ants to leave their nests – warm, stuffy days with not much breeze.

"The climate would have definitely contributed to the increase."

Vikki Lunn, who works at Leicester Market, said: "On Tuesday, they were everywhere.

"At home, we had a breakout of flying ants and the same happened at the market.

"Its the heat – I've definitely noticed an increase as the weather has become more stuffy."

Gursharan Singh Bhambra, who lives in Rushey Mead, said: "I've seen an increase in the last two days. They always seem to come out at this time of the year.

"I've seen them around the bus station and bus stops on Charles Street, crawling around all over the seats.''

James Fernandez, of Humberstone, said: "I've seen a few more around.

"My back garden looks like it's crawling with them – not just ants, but small black bugs as well.

"I think it's not just the hot weather, it's the fact that it's muggy – this weather seems to be a breeding ground for them."