Are winged ants a sign of impending rain?

Question

I need this for school. It's a Philippine superstition, and I need to know if it's true and why or why not. . .

Answer 1

Not necessarily.

A winged ant is called an Elate.  They are the virgin females and males that will someday fly away to mate and start a new colony.

Ants, especially Elates, come to the surface usually just "after" a rain, because the water has softened the ground and the Elates  can therefore dig down into the soil easier to start a new nest.  

Termites do the same thing, because, not only is the earth softened, but so are fallen logs and old trees.

After the female Elate ant has been mated with she is a queen and after digging down into the soil, she begins laying eggs and the new colony of ants is born.  The high humidity level, caused by the moisture in the ground from the rains, not only helps her dig, but is also very necessary to keep the eggs and larvae from drying out.

Ants are fascinating creatures and very, very necessary to the health of our planet.

Answer 2

Well, I've lived in the Philippines, and every year around the start or the rainy season, the winged ants come out. It's the same with most animals -- breeding season is timed with a season of rain or spring when available food is prolific, or other conditions are good successful breeding and offspring survival.

To me it's not so much a superstition as it is an observation of natural events occurring every year.

Answer 3

Winged ants are the ones that fly out of the nest to mate with each other and then the females form new colonies. They would be a lot less likely to come out during a drought because the ground would be too dry to dig in. Having the ground freshly watered would make it easier for the females to dig their new nest. Soooo.... I think there would be some truth to it.

Answer 4

Many people believe so.