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is it termites or is it ants?
Entomologists refer to winged ants
and termites as alates. The alate is
simply the adult, sexually mature
stage in the ant or termite life
cycle. Alates develop in the colony
from immature stages prior to the
flight season. When the alates
receive the proper cues (warm
temperatures, bright sunlight, low
winds, for example) they will leave
the colony and fly away to start
their own colonies. The exodus of
alates from a colony, known as a
dispersal or nuptial flight, is
commonly referred to as swarming; so
alates are often referred to as
swarmers. Male and female termites
shed their wings and will pair up
when a suitable mate is found. Then
they will search for a suitably damp
piece of wood or soil where they
will start their new colony.
Swarming in ants is different. Male
and female alates leave the nest and
after the female is inseminated, the
male dies. The newly fertilized
female then searches for a suitable
nesting site - the choice of where
to nest depends on the species.
When termites swarm they are
often misidentified as "flying
ants". This is a common mistake
because termite alates look very
much like ants. |
