Talk:Nuptial flight

Today in Portland, Oregon
may 8, 2007

witessed a colony's nuptial flight today...

very cool — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ma2ch (talk • contribs) 01:16, 9 May 2007

Fertilized eggs
There is a contradiction between this article and the Queen ant article. In the Queen ant article it is stated that "at the time of egg-laying, the queen may choose to fertilize eggs at will by using the sperm cells retained from the nuptial flight, thereby producing male ants instead of female ants." However, this article states that "Unfertilized eggs will develop into males. Fertilized eggs usually develop into wingless, sterile workers..." If I'm not mistaken all worker ants are females and males are produced specifically for the purpose of mating. So I'm not sure whether unfertilized eggs produce males or females, but I think this contradiction needs to be cleared up. Rajrajmarley 01:22, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

The contradiction needs to be fixed please.--Iady391 (talk) 14:26, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

original/unpublished research
As per wikipedia policy, I am unable to add information to an article that is unpublished or research which I have done myself... however I would encourage readers to find a source that cites this information in order to be able to add it to the article.

The whole "flight synchronization" phenomena which occurs in nuptial flights is 100% due to the fact that ants require additional humidity in the air in order to actually achieve flight. Without the added density of the moisture in the air, most ants' bodies are simply are not equipped properly to take flight. They have a difficult time flying as it is on extremely humid days, let alone on days without the proper amount of density to the air.

It is not that the ants are coordinating with other nests to "synchronize the mating with the individuals of other nests" as the article states (that is the effect rather than the cause)... its simply that they are unable to do so until the moisture levels have risen enough to create optimal flying conditions. They all fly as soon as they are able (as soon as they observe the proper conditions). Conditions which coincidentally happen to be nearly uniform across neighboring nests. -Robtalk 05:12, 6 June 2017 (UTC)