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Post by tomorrownight on Jun 5, 2010 8:30:45 GMT
Do we have a list anywhere of approx (or a list of past dates) of the native British species nuptial flights? Someone once told me L.niger go on around about June 20th but its slightly different each year? what about Myrmica rubra and Lasius flavus? (both a lot of colonies around here.)
I checked a couple of nests last week and no sign of alates, shouldn't they have them by now?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 5, 2010 11:37:16 GMT
To be 100% accurate at predicting the mating flights of any ant species one would have to be a miracle worker, or be able to see into the future ;D You simply cannot place a time as to the exact date, day or even week. Ants tend to fly when weather conditions are just right, and each genera or species have their preferred time of day or month as to when their nuptial flights will occur. Some British ants will fly as early as mid June, Formica rufa for example; while others may not fly until later. Up into early October which is when Lasius alienus flies, some years it doesn't fly at all. Generally speaking the best time of year in the British Isles for ant flights is July and August. It is often pure luck if you catch one in progress, as some years I have watched dozens of nests of Formica, Lasius & Myrmica send out hundreds of alates, while other years I have missed them completely or the weather hasn't been good for the winged ants to fly. Whoever told you Lasius niger fly on June 20th was way out, as July 20th sounds more plausible
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Post by tomorrownight on Jun 5, 2010 13:42:46 GMT
is it true they all fly on the same day (of one species?) and that no one knows how they do it?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 5, 2010 16:14:30 GMT
is it true they all fly on the same day (of one species?) and that no one knows how they do it? No it isn't true. The same species will fly at different times depending on where they live. Also if the weather is not the same in the south as say 300 miles further north, then this will affect the mating flights. Some nests have 2 or 3 flights from the same nest, as I have seen Lasius fly over 3 consecutive days. This ensures that younger queens have a chance to mate by timing such flights so that they don't occur all on the same day, and at the same time. Like I said in my previous post, weather conditions are crucial and need to be exactly right; but just because they are, does not mean that all ants fly on the same day at a given time, even if they are of the same species or even the same nest.
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