Hmm..... Flights?

[Blem12]

Good morning,

Well I was surprised this morning when taking my dog out.
I took several steps outside and I find a virgin queen.

I was telling myself, ''Bah, I bet she wandered off her nest at the wrong time''.

But, during the walk I found 15 male alates. They were all scattered around the neighbourhood.

Is it possible that 15 male ants just wondered off?

Thanks for reading,

Blem12.

[TenebrousNova]

I'm at school today, but I'll bring a few prepared test tubes along just in case any nuptial flights occur down here in Portsmouth.

It is pretty warm (Though not sticky), and there are an unbelievable amount of flies right now.

[Wood~Ant]

I wouldn't get your hopes up too soon guys, as mass mating flights of British ants just don't happen yet; and any winged ants that leave a nest this early on run the risk of premature death and failure.
Such "rogue" alates are prone to fall prey to birds and the reason that ants fly in their thousands is because there is always safety in numbers.

Weather conditions just aren't sultry enough, as this is why most of out native species fly in July or August when it is hot and sunny, or even hot and cloudy, as rain and wet ground play a vital role in the nuptial flights of most species of our native British ants.
Even Formica rufa which flies in June waits until the day it has a nice balmy breeze, as right now the winds are too strong and they have a bit of a chill.

I am not saying you won't find the odd winged ant at this time, as from early summer (Mid May onward) they are appearing in the nests of some species; but as for them having any major mating flights, forget it; as genera like Lasius or Myrmica have at least another 7 weeks before they start to send out alates. Even then many nests hedge their bets and have more than one nuptial flight, as these may be spread over a 3 to 4 week period.

The best time for mating flights is from mid June into July and August.
Lasius alienus is the last native ant species to fly here in Britain and will fly usually in September, but this is the only species to do so; and even this ant may delay flying until October if weather conditions are bad.
In fact this species often has to cancel mating flights altogether, in which case all alates (males and young queens included) are killed in the nest and the colony has to wait until the following year in the hope it will be successful then

What species of ant did you find roaming around Blem?

[Blem12]

Thanks for the information Wood!

The male ants were L.Niger but the virgin queen ant seemed to be a
species of parasitic queen due to to her gaster being smaller than a L.Niger one and her appearance just seems different to that of a L.Niger queen.

Also, I have something to add........... I caught 2 fertilised L.Flavus queens!
I am not sure if this was due to nuptial flights or they were established already.
But I do not think that they were established as they were together with no signs of brood or workers under a small piece of slate.

Thanks,

Blem12.

[TenebrousNova]

No alates, but I didn't think they would be flying so soon.