By Prof Adam HartUniversity of
Gloucestershire
18 July 2017
We're all used to ants sprouting
wings and taking to the air during summer, but is there really such a thing as
a "flying ant day"? A new study appears to have solved the mystery,
using data submitted by the public. Here, Prof Adam Hart, one of the report's
authors, explains how they did it.
No one can guarantee a rain-free
Bank Holiday weekend or a sun-drenched Wimbledon but, no matter what the summer
weather brings, you can guarantee that flying ants will make their annual
appearance at some point.
Flying ants are a bit of a
surprise for many people. After all, the ants we are used to seeing under
stones in our gardens don't have wings and cannot fly. These wingless ants are
female workers, toiling to ensure the colony survives and grows.
Once the colony has grown large
enough though, it can stop investing in growth and start investing in
reproduction. The problem for ants is that workers cannot start a new colony;
for that you need a larger, fertile, "queen" ant that has mated with
a male from a different colony.
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