1976] 
Talbot — Natural History of Formica talbotae 
285 
The 2,018 ants (adult plus brood) revealed in the digging in 
mid-August were only part of the production for the year since 
flights had been going on since June 16. If only 20 to 25 flew a 
day on a possible 30 to 35 favorable days, then 600 to 800 had 
already escaped, giving approximately 2,600 to 2,800 as the total 
estimated population. If 44% of these were females, then 1,100 
to 1,200 females might have left this nest in 1971 if it had not been 
dug. 
Flights. Since the ants had a long flying season, flights were 
not watched constantly. After the flight pattern was determined, 
they were checked at various times during the summer to deter- 
mine that adult alates were being produced constantly and that 
flying took place on each day that weather permitted. Flying 
ants were seen to leave the nest on 48 days. 
The “field nest” gave the earliest record for a flight (6-16-71). 
In 1970 it ran out of alates by September, but the “cherry” and 
“cedar” nests both had flights on September 20 and had a few 
males in the nest as late as October 1. This gave a possible flying 
season of about 100 days. If two-thirds of these had proper weather 
for flying, there could have been 75 flight days in a season. This 
extended flight period is in marked contrast to that of the host 
species F. obscuyipes, which has its flights within a period of ap- 
proximately 30 days (during June), and in that time individual 
colonies may have 5 to 16 flights (Talbot, 1972). 
Flights were tedious to watch because the small males and 
females were inconspicuous and because many flights were sparse 
and prolonged, with only a few ants coming up on plants at a time. 
Often there were only one to 16 alates on plants above the nest 
and from 10 to 15 males and from 6 to 12 females moving about 
on the mound. They were most abundant on the nest or on plants 
above when flying conditions were submarginal, and they were 
encouraged to come out but not to fly just before the tempera- 
ture was high enough or when the sky darkened or temperature 
dropped. One peculiarity of the alates was their reluctance to 
return to the nest once they had climbed plants and were ready 
to fly. This sometimes lengthened flights and once, when condi- 
tions did not improve, 3 males were still hanging onto grasses 
at 4:30 p.m. Flying rate was often very slow. A mean of one ant 
flying a minute was usual and 3 or 4 a minute constituted a good 
flight. Sometimes 2 to 8 minutes elapsed between the takeoff of 
2 ants. 
