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[T.C.]

Hello people. I have been curious on this question for a while. I wouldn't expect anyone but a very experienced ant keeper to know the answer. But here it is anyways.

I have a camponotous Pennsylvanicus queen with just larvae for several months now. I took some larvae from a log that I split open of the same species. Three of them to be exact. I thought they were major larvae, but they just keep growing. What's the chance they were "queen alates" in the fall? The reason I think it's a complicated question is because many would have no idea when colonies produce alates. All I know, is they produce when the colony is matured, and the alates (depending on the species) fly out spring - fall.

Your thoughts please.
Thanks,

[Antsinmycloset]

C. pennsylvanicus can actually send out alates in late fall if food stores (and likely other things) are looking grim. This would be a second nuptial flight for the year, comprised that year's reproductive cohort. Reproductives are said to be laid in summer/fall, and only once per year.

Some papers have observed reproductives overwinter as larvae, while others found them already eclosed. Do most colonies employ both methods? Is it primarily determined by the local climate and the whims of that year's weather? Are there multiple batches of eggs that include reproductives, if the climate allows? I don't know. The range on this species goes from Florida all the way up into Canada, and I'd love to know how much they can vary at the extremes.

Either way, any overwintered larvae should have little difficulty maturing by late spring/early summer.for the nuptial flights. I think it stands to reason to claim that if any place saw alates overwintering, it'd probably be a state like Wisconsin.

No idea helpful that was, and I'm certainly not "very experienced", but just my two cents.