Ants are a common sight, but many are surprised to encounter ants with wings, leading to questions about their role. These winged individuals are not a separate species but represent a specific stage in the ant life cycle. Understanding why some ants develop wings reveals their reproductive strategy and colony expansion.
The Purpose of Winged Ants
The presence of wings in ants is directly linked to reproduction and dispersal. These winged ants, known as alates or swarmers, are the reproductive members of an ant colony. They consist of virgin queens and males, both equipped with wings, distinguishing them from wingless worker ants.
Wings provide the ability to travel distances necessary for finding mates from other colonies, which is essential for genetic diversity. When an ant colony matures and reaches a stable size, it begins to produce these alates.
This production of winged individuals is a significant investment for the parent colony, as it requires resources to develop these specialized ants. Their function is to leave the existing colony and establish new ones, ensuring the species’ survival and spread.
The Nuptial Flight
Winged ants use their wings during a synchronized event known as the “nuptial flight” or mating flight. This aerial mating ritual occurs under specific environmental conditions, typically on warm, humid days, often following rainfall. The moisture in the air helps facilitate their flight, and the softened soil after rain is beneficial for the queens to establish new nests.
During this event, thousands of winged ants from various colonies of the same species emerge simultaneously, forming large swarms. This mass exodus maximizes the chances of individuals finding mates from different colonies, promoting genetic diversity. Male and female alates meet in the air, where mating takes place.
After the Flight: New Colony Formation
Once mating is complete, the fate of the winged ants diverges. Male ants typically die shortly after the nuptial flight, having fulfilled their reproductive role. Their lifespan after mating can be as short as a few days or up to two weeks, as their primary purpose is to inseminate the queen.
The fertilized female alates, or virgin queens, land on the ground and shed their wings. This process, called dealation, involves the queen breaking off her wings. She then seeks a suitable, sheltered location, such as a crack in pavement, soft soil, or a log, to begin a new colony.
The queen uses the energy stored in her fat reserves and reabsorbs the muscles that powered her wings to nourish herself during the initial stages of colony establishment. She lays her first eggs and cares for the initial brood alone until the first generation of worker ants hatches and can take over colony duties. The sperm she collected during the nuptial flight is stored and can be used to fertilize eggs for the rest of her life, which can span many years.