Forelius mccooki male and worker ants gathering at the nest entrance prior to a mating flight. Tucson, Arizona, USA
Male carpenter ants overwinter as adults, ready to fly on warm spring evenings. They are often one of the first ants to hold seasonal mating flights. This C. texanus male arrived to a blacklight sheet in mid-March. Austin, Texas, USA.
Aphaenogaster picea. Male ants (with wings) are rather different beasts than their sisters. They exist solely to disperse the colony's genes, and perform no other work in the nest. South Bristol, New York, USA