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Post by mail3diplo on May 29, 2011 11:31:50 GMT
What are all the correct conditions for nuptial flights. All I know, is that it has to rain. But, how long after it rains and the sun comes out do I look for queens. Also, what about temperatures, time of day, etc... I also live in the U.S. if that matters.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 29, 2011 13:23:59 GMT
Welcome to Ant Hill World mail3diplo Depends I suppose on which state you live in, but basically flights occur the day after a heavy rain, or sometimes that same afternoon if it rains heavy in the morning. Temperature wise it needs to be very humid and hot, what we call balmy weather that is either hot sunshine or cloudy but bright, with a high humidity. The kind of day that makes you sweat a lot. You will see lots of winged ants swarming around on the ground near ant nests as they prepare to fly.
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Post by Blem12 on May 29, 2011 14:18:52 GMT
Welcome to the forum mail3diplo! It seems that Wood has covered everything.
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Post by TenebrousNova on May 29, 2011 14:34:29 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 30, 2011 8:06:46 GMT
I forgot to mention that ant species here in Britain fly from late morning, throughout the afternoon and up until sunset. No ants fly at night, and none seem to fly before midday from what I've observed from my own field studies of wild ants in England and Wales. So one doesn't need to be an early bird to catch newly mated queen ants. All it really requires is a lot of patience, a minimal amount of skill and keeping your eye fixed firmly on the ground, as that is where you will see new queens.
Some people collect all new queens they find, including ones that still have their wings on; but an alated queen that still has her wings attached may not be mated, whereas any that have removed their wings (de-alated) are 99% guaranteed to have mated with one or more males.
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