Spring Aboveground Activities of the Harvester Ant Messor aciculatus, with Special Reference to the Flight Activity

概要

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Aboveground activities of Messor aciculatus in spring are divided into the preparation, preflight, flight, and postflight periods. Of worker activities, carrying clods out of the nest, running excitedly around the nest, and carrying pebbles toward the nest entrance or foraging characterized the preflight, flight, and postflight periods, respectively. The number of workers on the ground changed in parallel to that of alates on the ground. The flight date ranged from April 11 to April 29 or May 3, and the flight time from 10 : 30 to 15 : 30. More than 200 alates flew from a nest. Flight occurred when it was fine, the air temperature was 18.2-25.4℃, the relative humidity was 28-52%, and there was no strong wind. After the physiological condition of alates, to which the soil temperature and the insolation duration are perhaps related, becomes ready for flight, the first flight may occur when these weather conditions are satisfied. Soon after swarming, dealate females excavated new nests singly or in groups of two or more, concealed themselves in the earth in one or two days, and presumably lay eggs at 0.1 to 0.3 m depth.
日本昆虫学会の論文
1981-09-25