Myrmecocystus mexicanus
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Myrmecocystus mexicanus, the Mexican honeypot ant, is a species of ant in the genus Myrmecocystus, which is one of the six genera that bear the common name "honey ant" or "honeypot ant", due to curiou
Myrmecocystus mexicanus casent 0005421 profile 1
Head view of an M. mexicanus worker
Nuptial flight
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Nuptial flight is a phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. It is also observed in some fly species, such as Rhamphomyia longicauda.
Myrmecocystus mexicanus
…23 years. Only two castes in the colony reproduce, the queens and the males. Workers are sterile and tend to the queen and brood. Mating occurs during nuptial flights, where winged queens and males swarm outside the nest. The reproductives (winged virgin queens and males) start emerging from their native nest several…
Meat ant nest swarming
Male and female Lasius umbratus preparing for their nuptial flight
Young queen beginning to dig a new colony
After shedding its wings, a termite reproductive retains the stubs where they snapped off at the line of weakness.