Does this sound like a queen

[LearningAntKeeper]

I just found a queen ant on my kitchen window and my test tube was in my room so i didnt bother to fetch it. Just thought i would catch it with my hand first just in case it escaped. I was unfortunately too slow because it flew off. Can a mated queen fly or dont they.

[tiger01vincent]

Some queens keep their wings after mating for a longer period of time, and some bite them off when they have mated.

My experiance says thet if a queen takes flight easily and is not walking around looking for a good burrowing spot she has not mated, but there is really no way to tell correctly.

[averagebilly]

I've caught a queen that I saw flying around. It died overnight and I felt terrible. Pretty much, if it flies of, it hasn't mated yet.