#nuptial flight

[onenicebugperday]

@confetti-critter submitted: (Just a warning: there's a siren in the first part of the video)

Taken in BC. Are these termites?

Thanks for letting me know about the siren, I will tag it. And yes they're termites! Probably having their nuptial flight.

[futurebird]

It's spring time in New York City!

It's spring time in New York City! Yesterday it felt as if the whole city had come alive. Tulips and daffodils bloom, the moss on the old stone wall caught droplets of morning due. On my way to the bus stop in the South Bronx I encountered a DeKay's brown snake on the sidewalk near the park, the cute little snake was sunning itself after a long winter underground.

Gently, I picked her up (I had a look at the tail and I think it is a female) and moved her to a nice warm rock away from foot traffic. This is the first snake I've ever seen in NYC and it's my favorite species!

I’ve wanted to have a Dekay’s brown snake a a pet forever— I think a terrarium with Storeria dekayi and carpenter ants would be amazing— but if she now lives in the park I can go see her there.  Even better. She eat snails, slugs and worms and lord knows we have those over by that wall. I suspect there is one of NYC’s many secret buried streams and brooks under the wall in the park. It’s so moist all of the time.   Some of the local teens on their way to school and stopped to admire the snake. They were a little scared at first "oh no she's got a snake!" but I was able to tell them a little about the snake and how they are harmless and a sign that our little local park is doing well ecologically. 

Later this same day I was walking down Park Ave. down on the upper east when out of the corner of my eye I spied an ant queen. I can always tell ant queens by the way they walk... or rather waddle. Looks like Prenolepis imparis, or the American winter ant. She was hustling along the side walk as if on her way to the Chanel store. Now she’s in one of my luxury ant condos— (but don’t tell her I’ve moved her out to the Bronx.)     

I fed her a drop of sugar water which she accepted, now she is in my ant drawer snug in her test tube. I will post updates about this queen, and if she makes it. Over on Mastodon I asked for help naming her and we decided to call her "Ethel." I've never kept this species before, so I'm reading about their needs.

Ethel is cute & round, settling in to her "Luxery ant condo" (It's a test tube.) She enjoyed a little sugar water, now she's in the darkness of the ant drawer. She looks very well-fed, so I think there is a good chance she will lay lots of eggs.

In four or five days I'll check on her again. Sometimes new queens just die. So, many don't like to name a queen until she has her first workers. But I'm cheering for this little urban ant.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

False Honey Ant - Prenolepis imparis

Let's briefly revisit these mismatched individuals and be reminded of the warmer days of spring and nuptial flights. Though of different sizes and forms, the Ants in these pictures are the same specie, but are simply designed for different purposes. All the smaller winged male Ants here must do is secure a female and successfully form a mating pair with her. After that, his job is done and that'll be the end of him. At least he gets to enjoy the sun and breeze as he does so, as other species of Ants may have to venture underground to find a mate. Those that do are heavily scrutinized by queen's workers, and should he be deemed unfit, he will be carved apart and converted into food for the colony. If he's lucky, it will just be the wings that are eaten (first). Meanwhile, the swollen female has a long life ahead of her, especially when she finds a suitable colony location deep within the ground.

When the queen is ready, she will have shed her wings and shall foster a wonderful home teeming with loyal subjects and defenders by suppling an egg output thanks to the male's contribution. With a fill of resources inside her abdomen, she has all the energy she needs to facilitate a nest and the first batch of workers. Do not be confused however, she is full of fat reserves, not honey (unlike true Honeypot Ants such as Myrmecocystus spp.), hence the name "False Honey Ant". As the fat reserves begin to dwindle, however, sclerotization of exoskeleton progresses, as can be seen in the winged queen in Picture 9. As such, these young queens have time, but not unlimited time to find a home. I hope to see the nuptial flight this year if I can, but the emergence can be somewhat unpredictable. What is predictable however, is that this Ant will likely emerge earlier than other species as they are more tolerant of colder temperatures. They are so tolerant in fact, that they may even forage during winter, provided it isn't too cold and snow doesn't impede their locomotion.

Pictures were taken on April 8 and 10, 2021 with a Google Pixel 4.

[adragonsoulants]

So I was hanging out at the park today with the friend and got to see a nuptial flight!!! I have been wanting to see one all summer! It was so cool seeing all the ants flying in the sunlight and just seeing the swarm slowly move about.

I think I saw atleast 2 species having a flight together? I think both may be a Lasius, for sure the larger darker ones.

I did catch some but if they wanted to fly I'd let them go. Such as the last one who was posing so nice on my hand only to fly away soon as I took the picture.

I only ended up with 1 of the larger queens but we're going back the next day to see if we can find more.

Alas catching queens during a nuptial flight can yield slim results with the queen actually having mated. But we'll see. The one I caught wasn't flying and was a little ways away from her presumed colony.

However!

It can making IDing easier as I could see what the workers looked like!

I believe the larger queens (and the one I cought) is Lasius brevicornis!

[mvaljean525]

For Sara Teasdale

What wakes the tender grasses where I lie? What small soft presence stirs and startles by? Swallow, O swallow, Why have you left the tree-tops and the sky?

The grass is faded by the sun and rain, The Summer passes, Autumn comes again, Swallow, O swallow, And, bitter-sweet, love trembles into pain.

The heart of earth grows weary, and her eyes Are closed; her lips are tuned to languid sighs, Swallow, O swallow, And in my heart the singing sobs and dies. Night-long, by blown seas, musical with wind, I flutter like a lost child, weak and blind, Swallow, O swallow, After the mother whom she cannot find. ...

Through apple-boughs the murmurous breezes sing, As waters from a cool deep-shaded spring, Swallow, O swallow, And slumber streams from leaves left quivering.

Have you grown weary of the heaven's height, The hidden stars, the vivid depths of light, Swallow, O swallow, As love grows weary of the long swift flight?

You do not answer but your wings are spread, And past the topmost apple, sweet and red, Swallow, O swallow, In flight and song you vanish overhead!

I, too, will give my heart unto the heaven; Phaon shall find me through the dusk of ev'n, Swallow, O swallow, Shaken with kisses ere they have been given!

As from the swarming hive in nuptial flight The queen ascends, all golden fire and light, Swallow, O swallow, On wings of ecstasy I rise to-night!

But to the earth my flight shall not return, For when the sun-like flame has ceased to burn, Swallow, O swallow, — The Lesbian Sea shall be my funeral urn.

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Sappho to a Swallow on the Ground

Zoi Akins  1886-1958

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Graphic - 平野実穂 Miho Hirano  (B.2000)

[onenicebugperday]

@hellyeahpancakes​ submitted: when i took out my phone yesterday (to try and take a picture of a cool bug on the ground) i saw in the screen's reflection cool bugs in my hair:

If you want to ID: found in [removed] (please remove) any ideas as to these fellers' species and what they're doing? They were absolutely everywhere in that area I noticed.

plus the bug i was trying to photograph in the first place :)

Oh, my! Kind of rude to just start mating in your hair but I guess ants don’t know about manners. The large one is a princess ant who is mating with a winged male during their nuptial (mating) flight. Afterwards, all the winged males will die and the princesses will go off to start their own colonies, ripping off their wings to become a queen and start laying eggs! The other dude is a European firebug :)

[onenicebugperday]

@funky-art-cactus submitted: The other day I got the pleasure of seeing a red harvester ant mating swarm right outside my house! It was a really cool sight to see

How lucky! I hope they had a good time in their enormous ant orgy :)

[onenicebugperday]

@wizardofthecourt submitted: caught these ants getting ready to leave the nest last night and being stopped by the workers (my guess was they wanted them to wait until the sun was up? but i couldnt find anything on why they would do that). i think they’re little black ants or maybe pavement ants. there were at least 15-20 winged ants and the workers spent all evening dragging them back inside every time they came out. found in southern michigan

Ant nuptial flights usually take place in the morning so perhaps they got too antsy (hehe) and the workers had to stop them? I dunno that much about any behavior tbh. But I hope they figured it out and had a nice flight!