Summer heat after some rain in Toowoomba and the air has been full of tiny insects on the move.
![Tint spider-lings drift pass on small strands of web, and land on the grass. Photo R. Ashdown Tint spider-lings drift pass on small strands of web, and land on the grass. Photo R. Ashdown](https://www.robertashdown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/IMG_1637.jpg)
Tiny spiderlings ‘baloon’ about. They drift pass on small strands of web, and land all around us on the grass. Photo R. Ashdown
![Winged Sugar Ants mill about our large colony under old sleepers in the driveway. Conditions are right for the colony to produce winged ants (known as alates). These are reproductive males and females, which swarnm and mate. The males die within a few days but the females (future queens) fly off to find a new nesting site, shed their wings and establish a new colony.ants (alates) Winged Sugar Ants mill about our large colony under old sleepers in the driveway. Conditions are right for the colony to produce winged ants (known as alates). These are reproductive males and females, which swarnm and mate. The males die within a few days but the females (future queens) fly off to find a new nesting site, shed their wings and establish a new colony.ants (alates)](https://www.robertashdown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/IMG_5194.jpg)
Winged Sugar Ants mill about our large colony under old sleepers in the driveway. Conditions are right for the colony to produce winged ants (known as alates). These are reproductive males and females, which swarm and mate. The males die within a few days but the females (future queens) fly off to find a new nesting site, shed their wings and establish a new colony. Photo R. Ashdown
![Unlike most of the colony's ants, alates are black. Large worker ants stand guard around the mating alates. Photo R. Ashdown. Unlike most of the colony's ants, alates are black. Large worker ants stand guard around the mating alates. Photo R. Ashdown.](https://www.robertashdown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/IMG_5189.jpg)
Unlike most of the colony’s ants, alates are black. Large worker ants stand guard around the mating alates. Photo R. Ashdown.