i 7 8 
Psyche 
[September 
92° in the sun it was only 73 ° in the shade. Perhaps the nest never 
warmed enough to stimulate alates to emerge. 
Summary of flights of F. dakotensis. Alates developed very late. 
No winged individuals have been seen before August 24 and a few 
were still in the pupal stage on September 15. Flights began on 
September 5 in 1970. On October 1, when 7 flights had occurred, 
there were still alates in the nest. 
On flight days males and females came from openings at the 
bases of mounds and from under leaves nearby. Workers had made 
the exits and a few guarded them in an attempt at keeping the 
alates from leaving. Occasionally a worker came up a plant after 
a male and pulled sim back or nudged him until he walked down 
or dropped. 
Time of day of flight depended primarily on rising temperature 
and flights took place in the morning when the sun had warmed 
the air and nest area sufficiently. Flights tended to be late in the 
Table II. Comparison of flights of three species of Formica of the rufa 
group at the E. S. George Reserve, Livingston Co., Michigan. 
Dates of 
flights 
Formica 
obscuripes 1 
6-3 - 7-1 
Formica 
obscurwentris 2 
7-27- 8-24 
Formica 
dakotensis 
9-5 -9-21 3 
Beginning of 
flights 
Time 
Temp. 
6:08 
69° 
- 11:35 
- 72° 
7:00- 8:43 
63° - 69° 
9:34- 12:32 
76° - 92° 
Height of 
flight 
Time 
Temp. 
7:05 
71° 
- 9:40 
- 77° 
7:07- 9:24 
66° - 70° 
10:30 - 12:53 
78° - 88° 
End of 
flight 
Time 
Temp. 
8:00 
74° 
- 11:40 
- 81° 
8:48 - 10:04 
68° - 72° 
10:50- 1:25 
75° - 93° 
Temperature — Fahrenheit, 10 inches above the ground 
Time — -Eastern Standard, morning to early afternoon 
Talbot 1959 and unpublished data 
Talbot 1964 
Tates still in nest on Oct. 1 
