Tetramorium Nuptial Flight [HD]

Summary

In this early morning video, the narrator encounters a tetramorium swarm, possibly a nuptial flight, where ants are seen flying and mating. The script discusses the identification of male and queen elates, the invasive nature of the tetramorium species, and the narrator's attempt to capture mated queens. It also highlights the opportunistic behavior of predatory insects like wasps taking advantage of the swarm. The video ends with the narrator's plan to continue searching for suitable queen ants in the coming days.

Takeaways

• 🌞 The video was recorded early in the morning, around 5:45 a.m., showcasing a Tetramorium (ant) swarm.
• 🐜 The swarm is described as a nuptial flight, indicating a mating event rather than a war between colonies.
• 🔍 The narrator observes several dead ants, identifying them as queens based on their appearance.
• 🎉 The narrator expresses surprise at the early morning flight time of the ants, highlighting the unexpected nature of their activity.
• 🐝 The ants are seen grasping onto other ants, initially thought to be dead ones, but later clarified as a misunderstanding.
• 🏆 A Tetramorium contest is mentioned, encouraging viewers to participate in growing a Tetramorium colony for a chance to win a free PMus nest.
• 👦 The narrator identifies a male ant by its wasp-like appearance and small head, providing a visual guide for viewers.
• 🏡 The ants are discovered to be living in the narrator's surroundings, emerging from openings in the brick.
• 👀 The narrator plans to search for mated queen ants, indicating that the search is part of a larger project or hobby.
• 📍 The narrator finds two queens and notes that they are chewing off their wings, suggesting they have mated and are preparing to start new colonies.
• 🌳 The narrator discusses the invasive nature of the Tetramorium species, originally from Asia but now widespread in North America.

Q & A

What is happening at the beginning of the video?

A tetramorium swarm is taking place, which is an event where ants from a colony engage in activities such as nuptial flights and sometimes fights.

What is a nuptial flight in the context of ants?

A nuptial flight is a reproductive event where winged ants, typically males and queens, fly to mate. It is a critical part of their life cycle.

What are the ants doing in the video that suggests a nuptial flight rather than a war?

The ants are seen flying and surrounding what appears to be a queen ant, which is typical behavior during a nuptial flight rather than a war.

Why does the narrator believe some ants are dead?

The narrator observes ants that appear to be unmoving and not participating in the swarming activity, leading to the conclusion that they might be dead.

What is the significance of the tetramorium contest mentioned in the video?

The tetramorium contest is an event where participants aim to grow a tetramorium colony. The winner receives a free pumus nest.

What are the physical characteristics that help identify a male ant in the video?

Males are described as looking more wasp-like, particularly with a very small head, which is a key distinguishing feature.

What is the narrator's strategy for finding mated queen ants?

The narrator plans to walk around slowly, keeping an eye on the ground, looking for mated queen ants that might be wandering in search of a suitable nesting site.

Why are the ants described as an invasive species in North America?

The tetramorium ants are native to Asia and were introduced to North America, making them an invasive species in this region.

What is the role of predatory insects like wasps during ant nuptial flights?

Predatory insects, such as wasps, often take advantage of the nuptial flights as a feeding opportunity, as many ants are vulnerable during this time.

What action does the narrator take after finding potential queen ants?

The narrator bottles up the queen ants he finds, presumably to keep them for observation or to participate in the tetramorium contest.

Outlines

00:00

🐜 Tetramorium Nuptial Flight

The speaker begins by noting the early morning time and the occurrence of a Tetramorium nuptial flight, which is a swarm of ants typically associated with mating. They describe the presence of elates (winged ants) and the possibility of a queen being present. The speaker also mentions the Tetramorium contest on the ANS Canada website, where participants can win a free PMus nest. The focus is on identifying male ants by their wasp-like appearance and small heads, and the speaker expresses surprise at the ants' early morning activity. The narrative includes an attempt to locate mated queen elates and a discussion about the ants' emergence from the brick openings.

05:01

🌳 Searching for Mated Queen Elates

The speaker continues their search for mated queen elates, discussing the timing of their flight which can occur from May through July. They mention that queens can fly far from their origin and describe their methodical search, keeping an eye on the ground. The speaker also observes dead male elates and notes their small, wasp-like heads. They discuss the Tetramorium species being invasive in North America, originally from Asia, and their common name 'pavement ants.' The narrative includes interactions with other insects like wasps, which are also attracted to the flying ants. The speaker concludes by mentioning the discovery of two queens and their efforts to collect them, as well as their intention to continue searching for queen elates in the coming days.

10:02

🔍 Continuous Monitoring for Tetramorium Queens

The speaker wraps up their search for the day, noting that they have not found any queens yet. They discuss the behavior of Tetramorium ants, particularly the queens, who wander in search of a suitable nesting site after their nuptial flight. The speaker plans to keep an eye out for queens in the coming days and mentions the importance of having snap cap vials or test tubes with cotton on hand for capturing them. They emphasize the unpredictability of encountering queens and the usefulness of being prepared with collection tools throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

Keywords

💡Tetramorium Swarm

A tetramorium swarm refers to a large gathering of tetramorium ants, typically during their nuptial flight. In the script, the speaker observes what they believe to be a swarm, indicating a significant event in the life cycle of these ants, which is central to the video's theme of ant behavior and observation.

💡Nuptial Flight

Nuptial flight is a term used to describe the mating period for certain ant species, where winged ants leave the nest to mate. The video discusses this phenomenon, with the speaker identifying the event as a nuptial flight, highlighting it as a key moment for ant reproduction.

💡Elates

Elates are winged reproductive members of an ant colony, either male or female. In the script, the speaker mentions seeing 'elates' and distinguishes between queens and males based on physical characteristics, which is crucial for understanding the reproductive dynamics of the tetramorium ants.

💡Queen

The queen ant is the reproductive female in a colony, responsible for laying eggs and perpetuating the colony. The speaker in the video is particularly interested in finding a mated queen elate, which is a primary objective in the narrative as it signifies the continuation of the ant colony.

💡Males

Males in the context of the script refer to the male reproductive ants, which have a distinct appearance compared to the queens. The speaker notes the small head size as a characteristic to identify male elates, which is an important detail in the video's exploration of ant morphology.

💡Invasive Species

The term invasive species refers to a species that is not native to a particular region and can cause harm to the local ecosystem. The script mentions tetramorium ants as an invasive species in North America, originally from Asia, providing context on their ecological impact.

💡Pavement Ants

Pavement ants is a common name for tetramorium ants due to their tendency to build nests under pavements. The speaker uses this term in the script, which helps to familiarize viewers with the common names for these ants and their habitat preferences.

💡Predatory Insects

Predatory insects, such as the wasp mentioned in the script, are those that feed on other insects. The video describes how the presence of flying ants can attract predatory insects, illustrating the interconnectedness of the food chain in nature.

💡Mating

Mating in the script refers to the reproductive process between male and female ants. The speaker is looking for mated queen elates, which would have mated during the nuptial flight, indicating a successful reproductive event.

💡Snap Cap Vials

Snap cap vials are small containers with a secure closure, used in the script for capturing and preserving insects like queen ants. The speaker mentions these as essential tools for an entomologist or someone interested in ant behavior, showing their practical use in the field.

💡Colony Growth

Colony growth is the process by which an ant colony expands in size and population. The script mentions a contest related to growing a tetramorium colony, which ties into the broader theme of the video about the life cycle and development of ant colonies.

Highlights

Observation of a Tetramorium swarm at 5:45 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.

Discussion of Tetramorium nuptial flight where queens and males mate in the air.

Males appear to be dead, likely having fulfilled their life purpose after mating.

Males have a wasp-like appearance with a very small head.

Tetramorium ants emerging from brick openings, indicating their presence in the area.

Mention of the Tetramorium contest on the ANS Canada website with a prize of a free formicarium.

The Tetramorium species is invasive, native to Asia but now widespread in North America.

Predatory insects like wasps take advantage of the nuptial flight as a feast.

The speaker found two queen ants, possibly mated, and bottled them for observation.

Unmated queens can be identified by their wing-chewing behavior.

Queens wander in search of a suitable nesting site after mating.

Use of snap cap vials or test tubes with cotton as tools for capturing queen ants.

The importance of always having collection tools on hand during spring, summer, and fall for unexpected ant encounters.

The speaker plans to continue searching for Tetramorium queens in the coming days.

Tetramorium species are also known as pavement ants.

Observation of Tetramorium ants eating apple, indicating their preference for certain food sources.

Transcripts

hello everybody it's about 5:45

a.m.

and what we have

here on this crisp Wednesday

morning

is a tet

morium swarm

now sometimes when tetramorium swarm

it's a uh it's a tetr morium war where

two unrelated colonies meet and they

fight but it doesn't look

like it's a

war but I do

believe that it's a nuptial

flight now I see elates

here see right

there they seem to be Sur rounding

elates but see look this elate looks

dead and I do believe that's a

queen there's another one right

there ah there's another one up

there just everywhere here

[Music]

I had no

idea that they fly this early in the

morning but to me it seems

[Applause]

like they're grasping

on to some of the

elates I'm not sure

why

see like right there

that this here

is oh this one's

stuck okay so that's a dead

one never mind they're not grasping on

to dead ones they're not grasping on to

the Els they're just

that's just a dead

one there's another Dead one

there see they're

everywhere

unbelievable the torium are

flying

now if you guys haven't heard of the

awesome tetramorium

contest that's going

on you need

to

visit the ANS Canada website and go to

the museum

section where we talk about uh a contest

on winning a free pmus

Nest premise of simple you have a

year to grow a tetramorium colony as big

as you

can see that that's a

male you can tell this one here is a

male

because it looks more wasp likee the

thing that gives it away the most is the

head look at the head of this one really

really tiny head see if we can get any

close really small head they seem to be

coming from openings here in the

brick had no idea they were living

around here unbelievable so now that I

know that they're flying this

morning what I'm going to do

is I'm going to try to scope the area

for females for Queen

elates now I'm here trying to look

for mated Queen

elates just kind of walking

around trying to

find some Queen I know what they look

like because uh caught one last

year not this early in the year though

which is pretty

cool um I caught uh my queen in July or

August but uh I know they begin flying

in

May throughout June and

July now

uh a lot of the times the Queens can fly

pretty far

from the uh point of

origin so I'm just going to walk

around

slowly keeping my eyes to the

ground

hey penol

lepus in

Paris where's your

queen I missed their flight this year

have a look at these dead male

elates chances

are these guys made

it and after fulfilling their life

purpose they've now

coked

now see

how their head is Tiny they look more

wasp likee

they got a really really tiny

head here's some more

tetramorium

but

they're swarming for a different reason

here they're

eating come out from under

here

sorry seems like they love

Apple so a few facts about tetramorium

kpum species

e they're actually an invasive

species

introduced

um to North America they're native to

Asia

and they're pretty much everywhere in

North America little scarce in some

parts but uh they can be found pretty

much

anywhere also known as pavement

ants looks like we've got

a wasp

here oops scoping me

out

and a wasp

is trying its best to locate some

elates a lot of times when ants fly when

the elates fly it's a A

Feast for predatory insects and

animals it looks like this wasp

knows that the ants were flying

today

now I managed to find two

queens and it seemed like they were

chewing off their

wings

um found them

wandering just around

here don't know if they've been

mated but I bottled them up just in case

now if I find them walking around here

if I find Queen elates walking around

here like there's a queen right there

um chances are she's not

mated

so there would be no point

in trying to

uh bottle her up all right well I've

been looking around for the past half an

hour and I can't seem to find any

Queens so

um going to kind of end my search

now campus

pensylvanicus

um and another camp on

us uh but over the next little while

over the next few days I'm going to keep

my eye open because you know the Queens

wander around in search of a suitable

nesting

site and

uh at which point I'll bottle her

up you know if they were flying here

chances are the tetramorium were flying

somewhere else so I'll just keep my eye

open everywhere I go no matter where I

go and of course I always will have some

snap cap vials with me or test tubes

with cotton the snapc cap vials are

probably the

safer item to have in a

pocket um of course our store sells both

very very handy to have with

you

um throughout spring summer and fall cuz

you just never know when you'll run into

a

queen you'll never

know