ClassX Video Lessons Mating frenzies, sperm hoards, and brood raids: The life of a fire ant queen – Walter R. Tschinkel
In the heart of June, following a heavy rainfall, the sky becomes a stage for an extraordinary spectacle. Creatures we don’t typically associate with the sky take flight, creating a scene that might initially seem unsettling. However, for the fire ants, scientifically known as Solenopsis invicta, this marks a day of romance and new beginnings.
This event, known as the nuptial flight, sees thousands of male and female fire ants, called alates, take to the air for their first and final flight. For the males, this mating frenzy often ends in death, even if they manage to evade predators. Meanwhile, a successfully mated female embarks on a journey that will define her life.
After securing a lifetime supply of sperm from her mate, the new queen descends to the ground in search of a suitable nesting site. Ideally, she finds loose, easy-to-dig soil, such as farmland disturbed by human activity. Once she locates the perfect spot, she breaks off her wings, marking her royal status, and begins to dig a tunnel leading to a chamber where she will lay her eggs.
In the initial days, the queen lays about ten eggs daily, with the first larvae hatching within a week. Over the next three weeks, she relies on unfertilized eggs to nourish herself and her brood, losing half her body weight in the process. Fortunately, after about 20 days, these larvae mature into the first generation of workers, ready to forage and sustain their queen.
As the queen’s daughters work to restore her health, neighboring queens are also building their colonies. Initially, these colonies coexist peacefully, but the emergence of workers triggers a phenomenon known as brood-raiding. Workers from nearby nests begin to steal offspring from the queen’s colony, leading to fierce battles.
Despite their efforts, the queen’s workers are overwhelmed by raiders from further afield, who eventually capture the entire brood. In a desperate bid for survival, the queen follows the raiding trail to the victorious nest, where she battles other queens and workers to claim the brood pile. With the help of her daughters, she succeeds in overthrowing the reigning queen and usurping the brood pile.
Now presiding over the largest nest in the area, the victorious queen focuses on reproduction. For several years, the colony produces only sterile workers. However, once the population surpasses 23,000, the colony shifts its focus. Every spring, it begins producing fertile alate males and females, spawning these larger ants throughout early summer before returning to worker production in the fall.
After heavy rains, these alates take to the skies, spreading the queen’s genes far and wide. To sustain this annual mating frenzy, the colony operates as a massive super-organism. Younger ants feed the queen and tend to the brood, while older workers forage and defend the nest. In times of danger, these older warriors use venom to fend off intruders.
Following rainfalls, the colony unites to expand their nest using the wet soil. In the face of floods, they form a living raft to carry their queen to safety. Despite their resilience, the colony’s life is finite. After about eight years, the queen’s sperm supply is exhausted, and she can no longer replace dying workers. The nest’s population dwindles, eventually succumbing to a neighboring colony. Although the queen’s reign ends, her genetic legacy endures, continuing the cycle of life for future generations of fire ants.
Draw a detailed diagram of the fire ant life cycle, starting from the nuptial flight to the establishment of a super-colony. Label each stage and write a brief description of what happens during that stage.
In groups, act out the nuptial flight and the subsequent events. Assign roles such as male alates, female alates, queens, and workers. Perform a short skit that demonstrates the key events described in the article.
Create a board game that simulates the challenges and events faced by a fire ant colony. Include elements such as finding a nesting site, brood-raiding, and building a super-colony. Use dice and cards to introduce random events and challenges.
Imagine you are a queen fire ant. Write a diary entry describing your experiences from the nuptial flight to establishing your colony. Include details about the challenges you face and your interactions with worker ants.
Research how fire ants affect their ecosystems and human activities. Create a presentation that includes both positive and negative impacts. Use visuals such as charts and images to support your findings.
Life Cycle – The series of stages that an organism goes through from the beginning of its life until it reproduces. – The butterfly’s life cycle includes stages as an egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Fire Ants – A type of ant known for its aggressive behavior and painful sting, often found in warm climates. – Fire ants build large mounds in the ground and can swarm if their nest is disturbed.
Nuptial Flight – The special mating flight that winged male and female ants take to find a mate and start a new colony. – During the nuptial flight, many fire ants take to the air to find partners.
Colony – A group of ants living together in a structured community, working for the survival of the group. – The fire ant colony can contain thousands of ants working together to gather food and care for the queen.
Queen – The female ant in a colony that is responsible for laying eggs and ensuring the colony’s survival. – The queen fire ant can live for several years and can lay thousands of eggs each day.
Larvae – The immature form of an insect that hatches from an egg, often looking very different from the adult. – The fire ant larvae are fed by the worker ants until they grow into adult ants.
Workers – The non-reproductive female ants in a colony that perform tasks such as foraging for food and caring for the queen and larvae. – Worker fire ants are responsible for building the nest and defending it from intruders.
Brood – The group of eggs, larvae, and pupae in a colony that are cared for by the worker ants. – The brood of fire ants is kept safe and warm inside the nest until they mature.
Survival – The ability of an organism to continue living and reproducing in its environment. – The survival of the fire ant colony depends on the workers finding enough food and protecting the queen.
Genetics – The study of how traits are passed from parents to offspring through genes. – Scientists study the genetics of fire ants to understand how they adapt to different environments.
