What happens after ant flying day?

Practically everywhere I start to dig in the sunny side of the garden, I disturb an ants' nest. They scurry about to rescue their eggs and I can't bring myself to do any more damage.
After ant flying day, what happens to the nest? Will the ants go back underground so that I can ignore them?

PS. There's a nest in the compost heap. I'm assuming that's a 'good thing' as it won't be ready this year anyway.

 

Well we seem to have flying ants day for weeks now. So many inside and outside the house. Very unusual.

 

Lots of interesting information here.
Flying ant day: when winged ants take their nuptial flight

 

That was really interesting @AnniD . I didn't spot that one in my investigations!
It seems that they build the little hills above ground for the eggs. I assume they'll go back out of the way when the eggs have hatched. I tend to leave them alone unless they get too near the house . I don't want them coming up through the floorboards again.

 

I'm just watching them rising up in little clouds from the gaps in the patio @BB3 . Waiting for the cries of the seagulls again at any minute .

 

Seen a couple today. Am expecting full flight tomorrow as the conditions will be hot, dry, and still. If all the ant excavations between the paving slabs are anything to go by, it will be a bumper yr.

 

Well we hope that they all go somewhere just not in our house. We continue to have them inside and wish they would stay outside.

 

Some of the ones I disturbed don't seem mature enough yet. They'll have to wait for another day. There was one with a number of winged residents so they'll probably be off tomorrow.
It's a good job they're so small. We wouldn't have a chance against them if they were anything above knee high

 

Not noticed a flying ant day around here for a few years now.
It used to happen every year on a couple of days, but it seems more low key now with just a few nests giving out flying ants at a time, lots are red ants as well.

 

We had them yesterday evening. Only lasted about 15 mins and off they went!

 

There was a big swarm on the pavement as I walked home from work yesterday lunchtime. I felt bad that I couldn't get past without treading on them!

 

Brings to mind ants the size of baby dinosaurs roaming free!

 

There was some really big ones in an old Sci fi film I watched once.

 

Luckily, @pete, we do not live in a sci-fi film. Not that you'd know this listening to the continual doom-mongering of the media.

 

Living out in the sticks haven't seen them but 5 miles away in the "town" have been so many distressing reports in the last couple of days about the seagulls becoming "drunk" on feeding of the ants and falling prey to car accidents. I can't remember this happening in my lifetime so wonder if it's the lack of natural food for birds that's causing this.