Online ShopThe ants are ready to fly out of the nest and find a new home when the time is right!
This is the mating ceremony of ants. Since it takes place in the air, it is called "Wedding Flight" and it is an annual event in the world of ants.
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Classes and Jobs
The division of labor among ants is so clear that even the job of "reproduction" is clearly separated. The only ants with the ability to reproduce are queen ants and male ants, who are responsible for expanding the colony and walking around the genes, also known as breeding ants.
The protagonist of the wedding flight
The newborn queen ants that have not mated yet and have not left their home are called virgin queen ants. In the world of ants, the main characters of the nuptial season are the huge number of virgin queen ants and male ants.
A few months before the nuptial season, the breeding ants will be born and spend the next few months preparing in the nest, waiting for their reproductive organs to mature and storing as much fat and nutrients as possible in their bodies, so that they are ready to face the next most important moment in their lives.
Wedding Ceremony
The mating of ants, also known as the nuptial flight ceremony.
During the wedding flight, the male ants will fly into the air first and secrete pheromones, which is a signal. When the signal in the air is strong enough, it is the turn of the virgin ants to take off.
On the selected day, the male ants will fly out from their nests and the queen ants will choose the strongest male to mate with.
This ritual usually takes place in the early morning or late afternoon when the temperature is moderate and the wind speed is relatively low. Male ants and queen ants will meet in the air and mate at the right time.
Wedding Flight
The timing of a wedding is determined by several factors: temperature, humidity, wind speed and time.
Warmer weather is good for the insect's mobility. Moist soil after rainfall is good for the queen ants to dig up the soil surface and build up their nests.
This usually takes place in the humid summer, especially in the evening when there is a slight breeze. The breeze and higher humidity are conducive to the flight of ants and the spreading of pheromones, and in Taiwan, the nuptial flights of ants are usually centered in the period between May and August.
Choice of Wedding Venue
Mating flights typically occur at specific locations, which often have distinctive environmental features, such as sunlit areas, distant forests, or the tops of tall buildings.
In some regions, within a single geographical zone, mating flights can happen almost simultaneously. In these locations, ants may even engage in "recorded" mating patterns, where flights happen every 10 years, and each mating flight becomes a historical event.
Love Songs from the Heights
Mating ants often take flight from a gathering point, rising high into the sky. Initially, they move in response to wind currents, but after some time, they reverse their direction to avoid strong winds.
After reaching certain spots, they will mate.
For example, red ants typically fly up to 250 meters and may travel as far as 2.5 kilometers from the location before landing.
The flow of the wedding flight
The mating process flows smoothly but is crucial to the survival of the species.
The flight is fast, but it ensures the continuity of the colony’s existence.
Typically, mating ants live between 10-20 years, only needing one mating flight before completing their life cycle. The mating flight ends after the queen has fulfilled her reproductive duties.
Life after the wedding
After mating,
ants descend to the ground, seek new nesting sites, and establish their colonies.
In the initial stage, queens lay eggs and nurture their first brood, leading to their first workers. Afterward, the queen works together with them to help expand the colony.
New queens will invest all their resources into the colony, becoming the first queen to complete reproductive cycles.
Wedding Fly's Survival Challenge
After mating, the newly mated queen faces a perilous journey.
The survival of the colony depends on whether she successfully establishes a nest in a safe location, away from predators.
Before the first mating flight, there are many survival challenges. Not only does the queen face physical strain and capability limitations, but she must also overcome environmental factors like weather and terrain. If she survives and is able to complete the flight, she may succeed in starting a new colony.
In large colonies, for example, some queens may fly for only a short time, with the best queens immediately heading for the ideal area. If they are successful, their colonies grow, and the new queens eventually take over as the colony matures.
Research indicates that only about 1% of newly mated queens survive to establish a colony.
Natural Selection
In the ant world, the queen's choice is more important than the environment.
Only the strongest, most adaptable queens can mate and produce the next generation. The queen’s selection ensures the health and strength of the colony, helping it thrive under various environmental conditions.
Nature’s selection not only influences mating but also affects the overall structure and behavior of the colony. Through natural selection, ant colonies can adapt to ever-changing environments and maintain the stability and prosperity of their colony's ecosystem.
FAQ
- When does an ant's wedding ceremony usually take place?
- Wedding ceremonies for ants usually take place in warm seasons, such as spring or summer, and days with moderate temperatures and low wind speeds are usually chosen.
- What happens after mating?
- Male ants usually die soon after mating and their main mission is to pass on their genes to the queen.
- What do queen ants do after mating?
- After mating, the queen ants will start to look for a suitable place to build a new nest and start digging the nest, laying eggs and taking care of the larvae.
- Do ants only need to mate once?
- That's right, the queen ant usually mates only once in her life. She has a special method to preserve the sperms for more than 10 years and remove them for use when necessary.
- How much sperm can be stored after ants?
- The queen can store millions or even tens of millions of sperm.
- What is the difference between male ants and worker ants?
- The main function of male ants is to mate, while worker ants are unable to reproduce and are mainly responsible for finding food, building and maintaining nests, and caring for the larvae.
- How do ants choose their mating partners?
- Ants usually choose their mating partners randomly during the nuptial flight ceremony, but queen ants tend to choose the strongest male for mating.
- How many queen ants are there in the nest?
- Usually, only one or more of the old queen ants can give birth, while the rest of the newborn virgin queen ants need to find a new place to build up their own nests.
- What is the rate of successful establishment of new clusters?
- The success rate of new clusters is very low, usually less than 1%.
