Finally the wedding ceremony arrived.
Before this ceremony, days of waiting, heavy rain, wind, hunger, and disease have caused a small number of breeding ants to die or lose their pairs. The fight for remaining pairs kills or drives out some of the ants.
Just as the "female doctor" expected, she encountered no challenge. Occasionally, a menacing female ant came to kill her, but when she saw the "doctor"'s face, she changed her mind and left.
The "female doctor" didn't try to snatch someone else's match. Who made the "doctor" still alive? She was already qualified to participate in the ceremony. Moreover, she didn't want to waste her precious energy before the wedding ceremony. The decisive battle was after the ceremony!
The night before the wedding ceremony, ants finally brought food. In the past few days, they relied on the reserves in their bodies to carry it, or secretly drank the nectar secreted by the tree where the main nest was located to replenish energy. If there had always been a supply of food, so many ants would not have died in the cold wind and rain.
The food delivered is mainly a viscous mixture regurgitated by worker ants. It doesn't look very good, but has a high energy density. It is a mixture of minced insect meat, honey, water and trace elements. It can quickly replenish physical energy. After being hungry for several days, Very valuable to the ants.
The "female doctor" almost sucked out the contents in the stomachs of the two worker ants before their bellies became round and began to rest. As for "Doctor", like his entourage, he has no food. Anyway, in the wedding flight ceremony, the male ants have nothing to contribute, they just wait to be selected by the winner!
The bullet ants adhere to ancient traditions. Most of the male ants will be expelled after the ceremony, so there is no need to give them food.
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The much-anticipated "wedding flight ceremony" has finally begun.
As the first ray of sunshine rises, the mist in the rainforest begins to evaporate. In the main nest, the older queen ants and castrated female ants, protected by the worker ants, came out of the cave and came to the heights of the trees to watch the battle. When the morning fog dissipates, they can have a commanding view of the grand ceremony!
In the cheers of their entourage, all the breeding ants are waiting for the moment to take off!
There shouldn't be any rain today. If there is rain, the moment the first rain stops during the day, it will be the time to take off. But now, they have to wait until the morning fog dissipates and the sun rises to a level with the tree designated at a certain moment before setting off.
Before waiting to take off, the "Doctor" looked at his twin sister with longing in his eyes - the "Female Doctor" was tall and strong and had the same birthmark as himself, so the "Doctor" had already selected her as a match.
However, this wedding flight ceremony is a ceremony for female ants to select male ants, and the "doctor's" wishful thinking has no binding force!
As the sun gets higher, the first female ant finally flies into the sky. The "female doctor" didn't even turn to look at her brother, and resolutely flapped her wings and soared into the sky!
The "Doctor" opened his jaw wide and watched the figure of the "Female Doctor" quickly disappear behind the dense leaves. At that moment, he felt lost, and then huge disappointment and anger rushed over!
Although he is a male ant, "Doctor" is not as cowardly, timid, and submissive as other male ants. After breaking out of the pupa, facing the blatant ridicule of other ant nobles in the nest, his heart became stronger and more proactive.
Unlike the "female doctor" who despises her birthmark and wants to get rid of it, the "doctor" is proud of her own specialness: she must be special and great, and so is the "female doctor". I want the "female doctor" and I All the offspring have such eye spot birthmarks!
The behavior of the "Female Doctor" greatly hurt the "Doctor"'s heart. He took off in confusion, trying to find the "Female Doctor" among the flying ants in the sky! As for what to do after finding it, he didn't know in his little mind!
However, there is an extremely messy melee in the sky. Female ants who are not satisfied with the pair are looking for targets and attacking everywhere. Those female ants that have a pair of outstanding male ants have to face the challenge of finding a designated male ant among them. The number of female ants is so difficult!
The "Doctor" flew alone in the air. Many female ants flew over, used their well-developed eyesight to see the "Doctor" clearly, and then turned around and left resolutely. The "Doctor" can be said to be the safest ant in this chaotic ceremony.
"Doctor" didn't like these female ants without eye-spot birthmarks, but the sarcasm in their eyes still made him feel dissatisfied, and then it turned into deep hatred for "Female Doctor", other female ants, and even Faintly targeting this ethnic group!
Some flying insects also come to join the wedding flight. They are here to hunt. Breeding ants without the protection of warriors are no longer invincible prey. The hunting of predators also makes this ceremony more tense, exciting and bloody like the tradition. And efficient!
When the paired ants landed one after another, the "Doctor" could not find the "Female Doctor" either. But when he finally flew back to the leaf where he started, he found that the "female doctor" was there.
There was a male ant lying on her back. The male ant's head was gone, but their abdomens were still tightly together, and they were squirming and mating like convulsions.
Feeling that the wriggling movements of the dead male ant were getting weaker and weaker, the "female doctor" just threw the body down without even looking at it!
She won and grabbed a male ant in the fight. The other male ant was not very cooperative. The "female doctor" was so angry that she simply turned back and bit off the male ant's head after the forced union began - anyway, the union can continue without the head. !
The "female doctor" proudly looked at her brother who came back dejected, and communicated with her tentacles: "I won! My offspring will no longer have birthmarks! They will be the strongest female ants! Just like me!"
"Doctor" didn't say anything, and he didn't even express any emotions. He kept them all well hidden in his heart. He is really a smart male ant. Most male ants can't hide their emotions!
The thick-lined "female doctor" didn't notice the other party's abnormality at all. She was still intoxicated with her victory and looked forward to her first ant egg.
But at this time, the originally obedient staff ants began to attack the "doctor".
The professional ant warriors knew that the "female doctor" had passed the sacred marriage flight ceremony, but the "doctor" was a loser. As usual, they had to expel those failed male ants. But the failed female ants can stay in the colony and continue to be the ruler after being castrated!
Seeing "Doctor" being stung and retreating step by step, his wings also torn off, and about to fall off, he clung to the leaves and refused to leave, extremely stubborn.
For some reason, the "female doctor" suddenly felt unbearable. She stopped the attack of the worker ants and sent a message by accident:
Her male ant mate dies, and she is eligible to choose another male ant as her future long-term mate...
