Nuptial flights
When do ants fly?
A sourced North American nuptial flight calendar, and a map built from what keepers actually see.
Every month below is tied to a citation: a university extension page, a peer-reviewed paper or AntWiki, recorded in the reviewed ANTS genus guide it links to. When we have no solid source, the genus says not covered yet. We don’t fill gaps with guessed months.
What is a nuptial flight?
A nuptial flight is when winged reproductive ants, future queens and males, leave the nest to mate. Afterwards, mated queens may try to found new colonies. Flights are short, local events, and many keepers only learn about one when winged ants appear around a nest.
Not every ant species follows this pattern. The Monomorium guide describes the introduced pharaoh ant as mating in the nest and spreading by budding.
What triggers a flight?
Timing depends on the species, the place and the weather, so a genus name alone can’t predict a flight. The sources behind the calendar point to a few patterns:
- Rain, then warm weather. Solenopsis invicta usually flies around midday one or two days after rain, and Lasius neoniger on warm late-summer evenings after rain. Arizona Pogonomyrmex flights usually follow a rainy period.
- The first warm days. Prenolepis imparis overwinters as winged adults and flies on the first warm day of spring.
- Calm, clear mornings. In the Sonoran Desert, Veromessor pergandei flies at midmorning in late winter, and even light wind can stop a flight.
Most records describe one species in one region. A flight seen in one state or season does not set a reliable calendar for another.
Nuptial flight calendar by genus
9 of 25 genera have sourced North American flight months. Each highlighted month links to the citation that supports it. One source gives a season rather than a month: “early summer” for Tetramorium immigrans is shown as June.
| Genus | Flight months | Time of day and triggers | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camponotus C. pennsylvanicus and other carpenter ants (northern U.S.) Camponotus guide |
March to July (spring and early summer) | Time: Not stated in the sources Triggers: Warm days |
|
| Lasius L. neoniger (northeastern and central U.S.) Lasius guide |
Late August to October | Time: Second half of the afternoon to dusk Triggers: Warm evenings after rain |
|
| Pogonomyrmex Harvester ants in Arizona (P. barbatus record) Pogonomyrmex guide |
Spring or summer; dated Arizona record July 31 | Time: Afternoon (5 p.m. in the dated record) Triggers: After a rainy period |
|
| Prenolepis P. imparis, the winter ant Prenolepis guide |
Late March to April in the East; late January to March in California | Time: Not stated in the sources Triggers: First warm days of spring |
|
| Solenopsis S. invicta, the red imported fire ant (southern U.S.) Solenopsis guide |
Spring and summer, most intense May to July | Time: Midday, about noon to 3 p.m. Triggers: One or two days after rain; warm, sunny, light wind |
|
| Tapinoma T. sessile, the odorous house ant Tapinoma guide |
May to July, mainly June to mid-July | Time: Not stated in the sources Triggers: Outdoors in early summer; indoor colonies can swarm any time |
|
| Temnothorax T. curvispinosus (eastern U.S.) Temnothorax guide |
Early July (alates in nests June to August) | Time: Not stated in the sources Triggers: Not stated in the sources |
|
| Tetramorium T. immigrans, the immigrant pavement ant Tetramorium guide |
Early summer | Time: Not stated in the source Triggers: Not stated in the source |
|
| Veromessor V. pergandei (Sonoran Desert, Arizona) Veromessor guide |
Mid-February to late March | Time: Midmorning Triggers: Clear, calm days near 22 °C; not too cold, overcast or windy |
|
Not covered yet
16 genera have no solid source for flight months yet. Some guides still note timing behaviour, which is shown here without months.
| Genus | Flight months | What the guide says | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aphaenogaster | Not covered yet | Timing notes, no months Timing inferred from winged ants disappearing from nests (Connecticut, rudis group); flights not directly observed. “The Connecticut account inferred flight timing from the disappearance of winged ants from nests.” “It did not directly observe the mating flights.” “That inference is not a flight calendar for every region.” | Aphaenogaster guide |
| Brachymyrmex | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Brachymyrmex guide |
| Crematogaster | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Crematogaster guide |
| Cyphomyrmex | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Cyphomyrmex guide |
| Dorymyrmex | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Dorymyrmex guide |
| Forelius | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Forelius guide |
| Formica | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Formica guide |
| Liometopum | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Liometopum guide |
| Monomorium | Not covered yet | Timing notes, no months The pharaoh ant (M. pharaonis) is described as mating in the nest and spreading by budding. “UF/IFAS describes the introduced pharaoh ant, M. pharaonis, as a worldwide household pest that is very difficult to control, mating in the nest and spreading by budding, with large colonies holding up to several hundred queens.” | Monomorium guide |
| Myrmecocystus | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Myrmecocystus guide |
| Myrmica | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Myrmica guide |
| Nylanderia | Not covered yet | Timing notes, no months Warm-weather, early-morning or post-rain flights reported for N. bourbonica only; no months given. “UF/IFAS reports warm-weather, early-morning or post-rain flights for N. bourbonica.” “That example is a reason to avoid assigning a single spring-flight calendar to the genus.” | Nylanderia guide |
| Odontomachus | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Odontomachus guide |
| Pheidole | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Pheidole guide |
| Pseudomyrmex | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Pseudomyrmex guide |
| Trachymyrmex | Not covered yet | Not covered yet Not covered yet. We have not found a solid source for flight months in this genus. | Trachymyrmex guide |
The ArcosAnts nuptial flight map
The map is built from keeper observations. Signed-in keepers report what they saw, a flying swarm, winged ants at a nest, or a queen on the ground, with the local date and their identification confidence. Uncertain species can stay uncertain.
Reports are reviewed before they appear. The map shows them only as approximate areas, never exact coordinates or home addresses, and your private colonies stay private. Extended map features such as history and area alerts are part of ANTS Plus. This page shows no live reports.
A map report is not permission to collect, transport or release ants. Check local rules before moving any ants.
Questions
When do ants have nuptial flights?
It depends on the species, the region and the weather. In our sourced guides, the winter ant (Prenolepis imparis) flies on the first warm days of spring, the pavement ant (Tetramorium immigrans) in early summer, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) at midday one or two days after rain, and the cornfield ant (Lasius neoniger) on warm late-summer evenings after rain. Each month in the calendar links to its source.
What is a nuptial flight?
A nuptial flight is when winged reproductive ants, future queens and males, leave their nest to mate. Afterwards, mated queens may try to start new colonies. Not every ant does this: the Monomorium guide describes the pharaoh ant as mating in the nest and spreading by budding.
Is there a nuptial flight calendar for every ant genus?
Not yet. We only list months that a credible source supports, such as a university extension page, a peer-reviewed paper or AntWiki. Genera without a solid source are marked “not covered yet” rather than guessed, and most records describe one species in one region.
How does the ArcosAnts flight map work?
Signed-in keepers report what they saw: a flying swarm, winged ants at a nest, or a queen on the ground, with the local date and their identification confidence. Reports are reviewed before they appear, and the map shows only approximate areas, never exact coordinates or a home address. Extended map features such as history and area alerts are part of ANTS Plus.