What Ants Have Wings?
Ants are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. Did you know they can carry up to 50 times their own weight? If we were in a head-to-head competition, we would lose. BIG TIME. There seems to be no end to what they can do. Some ants can even fly! Have you ever wondered what ants have wings… and why? Let’s find out!
Ant-ology: Do All Ants Have Wings?
While most ants have wings somewhere within their species, there are a few who have evolved beyond the norm.
A few examples are:
Army Ants
Army ants are nomads, meaning they travel at night and rest during the day. When males hatch, their wings are already developed, and they will leave the nest to find new colonies. Unlike most species, their queen does not need wings because she stays within the protection of the colony’s primary nest. She lets the males come to her. If you’re wondering how new queens are made, they are simply well-fed. Any female can become the queen with the right diet.
Driver Ants
Driver ants ARE FASCINATING. Found mostly in Africa, these ants are fierce meat-eating predators and nomadic creatures. A traveling colony can consist of over 50 million ants! With their unimaginable numbers, they can overtake their prey in seconds. Males are born with wings and will fly off to mate with future queens, creating new colonies. Get this: A driver ant queen is wingless and can lay 2-3 million eggs per month, totaling close to 250 million throughout her life!
Trap-Jaw Ants
Trap-jaw ants have crazy-fast, spring-loaded jaws that catch their prey. They are so quick that they’re believed to have the fastest movement within the animal kingdom. Some species within the trap-jaw family also have queens without wings.
Ant-ology: Which Ants Have Wings?
Now that we’ve shown examples of ants without wings, let’s talk about what ants have wings.
In most cases, it’s less about the species and more about the role of an ant within the caste system and all comes down to one thing—reproduction. Reproductive females and males develop wings for a brief period of time in almost all species. Once the reproductive females (aka future queens) mate, nurturing their colonies becomes their top priority.
The Flight to Make a Family
When male and female reproductive ants have wings, they are ready to take flight and produce a family. This is usually triggered by warmer, humid weather. Called the nuptial flight, these ants, aka alates, grow wings and exit their colonies in large numbers looking to mate. Often, more than one colony will take this flight at the same time to allow for a larger pool of diverse ants.
While there are some species who mate on the ground, the vast majority of ants mate in the air. Talk about speed dating, soon after a male has fertilized several queens, he will usually die while the fertilized queens spread out to find new ground to create their very own colony.
This brings a whole new meaning to the word “single mom”. Once these supermom queens make a home, they will lay their eggs. Reproduction becomes her sole purpose as she expands the colony with her offspring.
Fun Fact: Queen ants do not mate again after the nuptial flight. That one mating flight provides everything she will need while she controls how and when she will release the stored sperm throughout her lifetime.
Flying Ant Imposters
There are many insects who are mistaken for flying ants and it’s important to recognize the differences between them.
Lacewings
Lacewings have a slender body with transparent wings and are sometimes confused for flying ants. When seen close-up, the differences are more obvious because of their light green color.
Aphids are tiny insects who feed on sap and are a food source for many other insects. They are often mistaken for ants that have wings because of their similarities. If you see small flying bugs in gardens or around plants, they are most likely aphids.
Winged Aphids
Flying Termites
Reproductive male and female termites also develop wings and swarm to perform the mating ritual. They are the most-likely imposter confused for ants that have wings. Once you see a termite up close, you can usually tell the difference between them and ants because termites do not have segmented bodies. While most flying bugs probably give you chills, it’s important to know how to differentiate between the two. Termites can be extremely destructive to your home, and unfortunately, the signs often stay hidden until significant damage has occurred. Be sure to investigate further if you see flying ant-like insects within your home—you could save yourself a lot of frustration and money in the long run.
While we obviously do not want ants that have wings as roommates, their role and behavior have a huge effect on our ecosystem and have taught us many things about our own human world, such as teamwork, overcoming obstacles, future planning, and accepting responsibility.
As you can see, answering the question of what ants have wings can become confusing based on the different species, roles, and other insects who favor ants with wings. While there are many variables, one thing is for sure… ants are impressive creatures—whether they can fly, or not. We think they might even have a thing or two they can teach us!
Determining what ants have wings can provide some surprisingly wise
life lessons we can learn from.
1. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
An ant’s entire life is built on teamwork, and they have evolved throughout the centuries to work together in perfect harmony.
2. Resilience and Adaptability
Ants work around the clock to achieve their mission regardless of obstacles, even if they must find alternative paths or build new ones.
3. Future Planning
Ants are diligent planners. They gather food and store resources for winter months to ensure the survival of their colony.
4. Persistence and Hard Work
The effort ants put into building their nests and supporting the colony is an excellent example of persistence and hard work.
5. Accepting Responsibility
Each ant in the colony has a specific role and they step up to the plate when it comes to fulfilling it, understanding the importance the value they bring to their community.
More comparison articles:
How are there so many flies in your house?
Mice and rats: What’s the difference?
What does and ant bite look like?
Termites and flying ants: What’s the difference?
Why are there so many gnats outside?
To learn more:
Our service area
Our carpenter bee control services
Our wasp control services
Our hornet control services
Our yellow jacket control services
Six Common Ticks Found in And Around New Jersey