{"id":2501,"date":"2022-04-05T23:49:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T15:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=2501"},"modified":"2022-08-15T05:22:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T21:22:05","slug":"do-ants-have-wings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Ants Have Wings?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>While most ants are wingless and typically just crawl around, some ants do have wings and are in fact, capable of flight. At certain times of the year, mature colonies produce winged ants for the purpose of breeding and establishing new colonies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll further discuss what kind of ants grow wings, how they grow them, and why they specifically have wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#What_Kind_Of_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"What Kind Of Ants Have Wings?\">What Kind Of Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#How_Do_Ants_Grow_Wings\" title=\"How Do Ants Grow Wings?\">How Do Ants Grow Wings?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Why_Do_Some_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"Why Do Some Ants Have Wings?\">Why Do Some Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Related_Questions\" title=\"Related Questions\">Related Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Do_Queen_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"Do Queen Ants Have Wings?\">Do Queen Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Why_Do_Ants_Grow_Wings_After_Rain\" title=\"Why Do Ants Grow Wings After Rain?\">Why Do Ants Grow Wings After Rain?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Do_Carpenter_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"Do Carpenter Ants Have Wings?\">Do Carpenter Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Do_Fire_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"Do Fire Ants Have Wings?\">Do Fire Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-have-wings\/#Summary_Do_Ants_Have_Wings\" title=\"Summary: Do Ants Have Wings?\">Summary: Do Ants Have Wings?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Kind_Of_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>What Kind Of Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Winged ants are reproductive ants called alates. These alates include male drones and virgin queens which are produced by mature colonies at certain times of the year to swarm in what\u2019s called the nuptial flight. There these ants meet up with other reproductive ants to mate and establish the next generation of ant colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just to be clear, winged ants aren\u2019t a separate ant species. In fact, most ant species actually produce winged alates. The alates of certain common ants such as fire and carpenter ants for example, grow wings and are capable of flying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, there are some species which produce wingless reproductive ants as they don\u2019t participate in a nuptial flight but establish colonies through a different method called budding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Ants_Grow_Wings\"><\/span>How Do Ants Grow Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants don\u2019t grow wings in the sense that mature ants suddenly grow them when it\u2019s time to reproduce. Keep in mind that the ants we typically see are sterile female workers, so they don\u2019t actually even qualify as alates. Instead, the presence of wings is determined in the early life stages of the ant life cycle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, male drones are produced from unfertilized eggs. Queens on the other hand, come from the very same eggs that produce worker ants. The difference though, is that queens are fed more as larvae. These slight differences factor into whether or not ants emerge from the pupal stage as winged adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Do_Some_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>Why Do Some Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that some ant colonies can expand through budding, are wings and the ability to fly even necessary at all? Well, budding and the nuptial flight are simply <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2389\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reproductive strategies<\/a> that ant colonies adapt to fit their situation. While some use the former to avoid the risks of the nuptial flight, other ants need the latter to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The presence of wings and ability to fly, for instance, allow certain ant species to disperse. Through dispersal, the queens of these species are able to locate and colonize new areas and resources which help them grow and expand their new colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dispersal also allows new queens to nest away from their maternal nests and prevent potential competition and conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, dispersal also allows these queens to avoid inbreeding which research has shown to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/6800846\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/6800846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">detrimental to their overall fitness<\/a>. Colonies prone to inbreeding eventually show signs of inbreeding depression as characterized by increased brood mortality and shortened queen lifespan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Questions\"><\/span>Related Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"how do ants reproduce\" class=\"wp-image-2391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:..._ant_--_queen_weaver_ant_(6185121219).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dinesh Valke from Thane, India<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Queen_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>Do Queen Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/can-queen-ants-fly\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2524\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Queen ants have wings<\/a> but only up to a certain point in their life cycle. As virgins, queen ants have wings to participate in the nuptial flight, where again, they mate with male drones. After mating however, these queens shed their wings as they look for suitable nesting sites where they\u2019ll start laying eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Do_Ants_Grow_Wings_After_Rain\"><\/span>Why Do Ants Grow Wings After Rain?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants don\u2019t actually grow wings after rain, it just seems that way as winged ants emerge from their nests after the rain to participate in the nuptial flight. Again, ants don\u2019t grow wings out of nowhere as adults and the presence of wings is dictated by the earlier stages of their life cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Carpenter_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>Do Carpenter Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, carpenter ants have wings. They are one of the many ant species which develop wings for the purpose of reproduction and typically engage in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.edu\/spotlight\/buginfo\/carpenter-ants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nuptial flight in late spring and early summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Fire_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>Do Fire Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar to carpenter ants, <a href=\"https:\/\/extensionentomology.tamu.edu\/insects\/red-imported-fire-ant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reproductive fire ants also have wings<\/a>. Likewise, they also engage in nuptial flights during the spring and summer seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_Do_Ants_Have_Wings\"><\/span>Summary: Do Ants Have Wings?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some ants have wings. Certain ant species produce winged ants for the purpose of breeding and establishing new colonies. These ants include reproductive male drones and virgin queens called alates, which participate in the nuptial flight, a mating flight where reproductive ants swarm and mate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While most ants are wingless and typically just crawl around, some ants do have wings and are in fact, capable of flight. At certain times of the year, mature colonies produce winged ants for the purpose of breeding and establishing new colonies. In this article, we&#8217;ll further discuss what kind of ants grow wings, how&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}