alates

Alates are winged reproductive individuals produced by certain social insects, most notably termites and ants. They arise within a colony during a seasonal swarming period with the purpose of dispersal and establishing new nests. The term alate comes from Latin and is used across several insect groups to denote a winged reproductive form, as opposed to workers or soldiers.

In termites, alates are the winged primary reproductives. They typically have two pairs of long, equal-sized wings and a dark, slender body. Swarming is triggered by environmental cues such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall. After mating, the alates shed their wings (a process called dealation) and become a king and queen pair that starts a new colony. The discarded wings often fall away, and the surviving pair must locate a suitable wood source and create a nesting cavity to begin growth. In many species, only a portion of swarming individuals successfully establish new colonies.

In ants, alates are the winged queens and males produced by a colony for nuptial flights. They swarm to mate, after which the males typically die or are discarded, and the queen loses her wings to begin egg-laying and colony founding. The founding queen relies on stored energy to start producing workers, and colony growth proceeds from there.

Alates play a key role in the life cycle and geographic spread of their species, facilitating gene flow between colonies and enabling colonization of new habitats. Their emergence is often a conspicuous seasonal event, reflecting the species’ reproductive strategy and environmental conditions.