Ants with Wings

Ants are omnipresent in nature, in which some species have the adaptability to survive in extreme climatic conditions. One of the interesting facts about ants is that they have the ability to lift things that are 20 times their body weight. As of now, more than 10,000 species of ants have been identified from all over the world. To mention a few, commonly occurring ants types include fire ants, carpenter ants, leaf cutter ants and odorous ants.

You would be amazed to know that wingless ants and ants with wings belong to the same species of flying ants. Thus, ants with wings pictures are more or less similar to that of ants without wings. They differ in their physical characteristics and the role that they play in a colony. Wings in ants are meant for nuptial flight, which is the pairing ritual for sexual reproduction. However, despite the class distinction, all the ants in a colony (either the winged or wingless), work in unity for the particular colony. Read more on types of ants.

Ants with Wings: Characteristic Features
Ants are often considered as the second most socializing insects, next to honey bees. The colony size may differ from one species to another. Some ant colonies consist of a few dozen members, while other colonies have more than a million. Each colony of ants can have one or more leading queen ants along with sterile female workers and sexually active male ants. Out of these, the queen and male ants bear wings. For a better understanding about ants with wings (also called swarmers), let's discuss about each of the ant classes in a colony.

Queen Ants with Wings
Queen ants are the sexually active females in a colony. In the majority of the ant species, a colony has only one queen. Its duty is to mate with a male ant during the mating season and lay eggs. After mating, the queen ant loses its wings. The newly laid eggs hatch as worker ants, which then start a new colony. Eventually, queen ants and male ants are born, both of which develop wings and leave the colony for mating.

Male Ants with Wings
Male ants with wings are smaller and/or lighter than the queen ants. Hence, as soon as the weather is favorable, they swarm and leave the colony before the queen ant does so, after which they mate in the air. Unlike queen ants, male ants do not lose their wings after the nuptial flight. However, they survive for a short duration after mating is over. Thus, queen ants and male ants are important for establishing colonies.

Female Wingless Ants
As already mentioned, wingless ants are sterile or non-reproductive adult female ants. These neutral ants comprises the highest number in an ant colony. The duty of worker ants is to build nests, search for food, safeguard the young ones and defend their colony. In short, wingless ants are the housekeeping group in a colony.

Ants with wings share features with other insects like termites and female wasps. Hence, termites are often referred to as white ants. Nevertheless, ants with wings or termites are different insects. The fact is that termites are closely related to cockroaches, rather than ants. Read more on the difference between flying ants and termites.

Ants with Wings: Control
You might have noticed ants with wings in house and in the backyard. They can survive in any place, where there is a food source. It is not unusual to see ants with wings attracted to light. Ants can create a nuisance, if they infest areas inside the house. Instead of using chemical pesticides, you can practice an effective home remedy to kill ants. However, it may not work for getting rid of large ant colonies. In such a case, you can consult professional pest control services. Read more on flying ants: how to get rid of them.

Do flying ants bite is a common query for many people. It is to be borne in mind that ants with wings bite humans. Though such ant bites may not be fatal, they can trigger allergic reactions and skin disorders. Considering this, timely control is the best tip to avoid future headaches. If you maintain a healthy and clean environment in and around the house and deprive them of their food, you can easily control ants with wings.