The Surprising Reason Some Ants Can Fly

There are over 12,000 species of ants. Most are seen as pests that invade homes and take over pantries in their search for food. The majority of these ants are found marching on the floor, up walls, or even on countertops. But from time to time, some are found to be flying around the home. This begs the question: why do some ants have wings while others do not?

As it turns out, having wings helps ants with creating the next generation of their species. While the majority of ants march rather than fly, those who can take to the skies have the unique opportunity to increase the territory where their species lives. Not all ants will survive this task. But those who do have the chance to create a kingdom for their queen for years to come.

Why Some Ants Have Wings

Almost all ant species produce winged males and queens during their reproductive phase, which are seen annually in many regions as they look for locations to expand their colonies.

Some of the most common flying ants include:

The reason these ants have wings has to do with expanding their colonies. By taking flight, these species of ant do not have to contend with walking long distances or invading other nests to ensure the survival of their species. Instead, when mature, these ants are capable of leaving their old colony to create a new one, increasing the territory in which the ants live, which then increases the chances of creating the next generation of ants. This is done as the ants use their time flying to mate with one another. The queen ants will mate with several ants on the way to the locations of their new colonies. Once a location has been established, the queen ants will lay eggs and start the cycle of life over again.

Life Cycle of Ants With Wings

The life cycle of flying ants depends on the sex of the ant and the needs of the colony at the time the eggs are laid.

In general, the life cycle of flying ants includes:

• Egg

• Larvae

• Pupae

• Adult

However, there are some intricacies to this life cycle. For example, if the colony is short on food and extra nutrition is needed, the eggs may be consumed before they ever reach the larval stage. But if the eggs successfully hatch, they will be tended to by the worker ants for nutrition and care.

To turn into an adult ant, according to WebMD, the larval stage needs to be completed. During this time, the ant will begin the transformation from the larva into a traditional ant, with six legs, eyes, antennae, and the body of an ant. The adult ants will either grow wings or not when the mating season is triggered. Those who grow wings will participate in the creation of a new colony. Those who do not will remain with the old one.

Ants With Wings Will Lose Them Over Time

Winged ants appear different from those without wings as they take flight to create new colonies. However, once a location for a new colony is chosen, ants with wings tend to resemble those that never had wings, because the wings are no longer needed and are removed.

Not all ants in a colony capable of growing wings will do so. It is only those who will be participating in the creation of a new colony that sprout wings. These wings help the ants to fly significant distances to create their new colonies.

However, once a queen ant has found the location that she wants to create her nest, the wings are no longer needed. The queen ants will remove their wings by chewing them off, removing them with their back legs, or having worker ants remove them.

The wings are used only for the nuptial flight, during which ants fly to a new location for the queen to establish her nest and for mating. Along with the queen ants, the male ants who were part of the swarm will also lose their wings. However, unlike the queen ants that can live for 15 years or more, they only live for a few days to a week after the swarm happens, as their sole purpose is to procreate.

Only female ants destined to become queens (alates) develop wings and participate in nuptial flights. After mating, fertilized queens lose their wings and start new colonies, while worker ants are wingless and do not participate in this process.

Winged Ants Are Not Active Year-Round

Winged ants are not active year-round. Instead, the ants go about their business in the colony until they are triggered to fly, which only happens during certain months of the year. Most often, ant swarms are seen when the weather is warm and humid. Many times, during the summer after a rain, ant swarms appear. The swarming is occurring as multiple queens and male flying ants have their nuptial flight. Mating while flying is done to be efficient in the use of time, as once the queen lands, she will begin the process of creating her own nest.

A warm rain can bring out the winged ants because it makes the ground easier to dig through for the queen and her workers. The faster the queen can burrow, the sooner she can lay her eggs. If the worker ants can dig easily in the ground, they can find protection more quickly. Therefore, in areas prone to ants, it should not be surprising to see swarms beginning as early as June and ending in September.

Advantages for Ants That Have Wings

Unlike ants without wings, those that have them have a distinct advantage. This is because, every time the colony swarms, there is a chance of being able to establish another colony and ensure the survival of the species. Swarming ant colonies contain multiple queens and worker ants. This allows one or more queens to leave during swarming season to establish satellite colonies. The main colony remains intact as younger queens begin the process of establishing their own colonies.

Those ants who do not swarm are left with the options of parasitism or budding to expand their colonies. In parasitism, the queen ant will infiltrate another ant nest, using methods that vary by species, to overthrow the current queen. In some instances, this works. More often than not, the queen attempting to take over the nest is killed by worker ants.

Those ants who take the budding route will have multiple queens within the colony. At any given time, the queens will leave the nest, along with dozens of worker ants, and create a new nest not far from the original to lay their eggs. While this is similar to swarming ants in that the colony’s territory is expanded, the distribution is much more limited because all the colonies remain in the same general area.

Swarms of Ants May Look Scary, But They Are Harmless

When the ants come out in a swarm, they can look very intimidating. This is because there can be anywhere from thousands to millions of ants in the swarm at one time. Fortunately, there is nothing to fear as the swarms, while massive, are harmless.

The swarms of flying ants that are most often seen from June to September do not intend to bite or attack people. Biting only occurs if the ants are feeling threatened. Their singular goal is to mate with the queen and to find a place to start a new colony. It just so happens that if people are outside when a swarm comes past, they may get caught in the frenzied flying.

Since mating and subsequently the swarming are triggered by weather, it is not unheard of for multiple species of ants to swarm at one time. In fact, it is so common that “Flying Ant Day” has been established in the U.K. This does not signify the start or end of the mating season, which can last for several months. Instead, it is the day when flying ants are swarming at their peak.

It is not unheard of for flying ants to make their way into homes, just as the wingless versions do. If this happens, and multiple are seen, there is likely an infestation that needs to be dealt with. But if the ants are flying by as they make their way to their new colony, there is no reason to fear. Instead, leave the ants alone so they can continue their journey, which involves protecting the queen and establishing a new home.

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