3 replies to this topic

[2boi]

I live in Norway, and due to wierd weather patterns witch makes cold winds from Siberia hit Europe and Scandinavia (The Beast From The East) it is still 50cm snow on the ground here with now sign of getting warmer. What happens to ants and their nuptial flight schedule in these conditions? 

[drtrmiller]

Temperatures tend to average out over the course of a year, so they'll fly when conditions allow, even if it's slightly delayed.

[Barristan]

It could be delayed but that also depends on how warm it will be after the winter. So if it will be quite warm everything could be normal or they could even fly earlier. What species do you mean exactly?. For Camponotus species like Camponotus ligniperda the longer winter won't have any real impact since the alates hibernate in the nest so their development can't be delayed since they are already developed. Other species do hibernate with alate brood so the development of this brood could be getting delayed.

Lasius niger flies from mid-June up to the beginning of September according to Seifert's book (Ameisen Mittel- und Nordeuropas, Ants of middle and northern Europe) so they always have a range in which they fly not a specific month at least most species.

Edited by Barristan, March 11 2018 - 12:26 PM.

[2boi]

The species i will be looking for is Tetramorium Caespitum and Camponotus Herculeanus.