Ant Life Cycle

10 de noviembre de 2024

Ants are fascinating creatures with complex life cycles that operate at both individual and colony levels. Each ant’s journey begins as a tiny egg, progressing through developmental stages until it assumes its role as a queen, worker, or male. However, an ant’s life is also tied to the growth and survival of its colony. Starting with a single queen, a colony evolves through cooperation and division of labor, expanding and eventually producing new queens and males to continue the cycle. Together, these life cycles highlight the intricate organization and teamwork that define ant societies.

Read about those stories on our Down The Ant Hill blog.

Summary

1. Life Cycle of an Individual Ant

An ant’s life begins as a tiny egg, which hatches into a legless, blind larva that is constantly fed by adults. The larva grows quickly and then enters the pupal stage, where it transforms into its adult form. Emerging from the pupa, it takes on its role as either a queen, worker, or male. Queens are larger, live the longest, and lay eggs. Workers handle nest maintenance, food gathering, and brood care. Males, whose only role is to mate, have wings and live briefly.

2. Life Cycle of an Ant Colony

An ant colony begins with a single queen, who mates during a nuptial flight and then settles into a new nest. She lays her first eggs and rears a small batch of workers. These workers support the colony by foraging and expanding the nest. As the colony grows, the queen’s only task becomes laying eggs. When the colony reaches maturity, it produces new queens and males, who fly off to mate and start new colonies, completing the cycle.

The Life Cycle of an Individual Ant

An individual ant’s journey begins as a tiny, oval egg, about the size of a period. Not all eggs develop into adults—some are used as food by nestmates to support the colony. When an egg hatches, it becomes a legless, blind larva, which relies on adult ants to feed it constantly. Larvae grow quickly, molting as they increase in size.

Eggs, Larvae, Pupae, and Adult Fire Ant worker (Credit: Bart Drees)

After sufficient growth, the larva becomes a pupa, entering a stage of rest and transformation. During this stage, the ant’s body reorganizes, and it begins to resemble an adult, although its legs and antennae remain folded. Pupae gradually darken as they mature; some are enclosed in protective cocoons, while others are exposed.

First Image: Bloody Field Ants with Naked Pupae. Second Image: Bloody Field Ants with Cocoons

When the pupa completes its transformation, it emerges as a fully formed adult ant. Newly emerged adults are paler and gradually darken over time as their exoskeleton hardens, and are called callow workers.

Adult ants belong to three main castes: queens, workers, and males. Queens, fed more as larvae, grow larger and lay eggs for the colony. Workers, responsible for colony maintenance, and males, who mate with queens, complete the caste system. Find out more about the anatomy of each caste in our FREE Ant Nature Study.

The Life Cycle of an Ant Colony

Rusty Carpenter Ant (Camponotus chromaiodes) New Jersey ONLY - Canada Ant Colony

Rusty Carpenter Ant Queen in Claustral Chamber

The life cycle of an ant colony starts with a single queen. After a mating flight, where she mates with one or more males, the queen searches for a suitable nest site, which can vary depending on her species. Queens often choose high points like tall trees, shrubs, or hills to find mates. We have a map of different nuptial flights in North America here, and a guide on searching for queen ants here.

Desert Leafcutter Ants (Acromyrmex versicolor) are known for their large nuptial flights where males and queens fill the sky (Credit: Pam Shack)

The mated queen then searches for a secluded nesting site, called a claustral chamber. She then seals herself inside to start her colony alone, as her new role involves laying eggs and caring for the young brood.

The queen lays her first batch of eggs and provides the larvae with special unfertilized “trophic eggs” as food. This method of using her own body’s resources to nourish her young is a survival strategy, allowing the queen to remain inside the nest.

Starting Camponotus lianghuang, or Liang Huang Carpenter Ants. As the colony grows, newer generations of workers will become up to double the size.

The first generation of workers, known as nanitics, are smaller than later workers because they grow with limited resources. These nanitics have one primary goal: helping the queen by foraging for food, expanding the nest, and caring for the queen's new eggs and larvae. As they mature, the queen’s job is reduced to one task: egg-laying.

Once ant colonies reach a critical mass, they begin growing rapidly. (Credit: Connor Cashman)

The colony then enters what’s called the Ergonomic Stage, where it begins growing more rapidly. With more workers to collect food, maintain the nest, and protect the brood, the queen can produce eggs at a faster rate. The workers form a highly organized system, taking on specific tasks to support the colony. Some ants gather food, some care for the queen and the young, while others defend the nest. This efficient teamwork allows the colony to grow and thrive.

Carpenter Ant Colony Filled with Male Alates (Credit: Alexis Orion)

Once the colony is strong enough, it moves into the Reproductive Stage. The focus shifts from growth to producing new queens and males, known as "alates." These reproductive ants are typically larger and have wings. At the right time, often triggered by environmental cues like warm temperatures or rain, the alates leave the nest for a nuptial flight. During this flight, queens and males from many colonies gather, increasing the chances of finding mates. After mating, males generally die, while the mated queens look for new nesting sites to start their own colonies.

Different Strategies for Starting Colonies

Not all ant species start colonies the same way. In Independent Colony Founding (ICF), a single queen establishes a new nest alone, relying on her own resources to care for her first brood. For some species, this means the queen never leaves the nest to forage, surviving entirely off the nutrients stored in her own body. Her wing muscles even break down to provide food for her developing larvae, and the queen can produce special salivary secretions as nourishment. This strategy, called claustral founding, allows the queen to keep her new colony safe by staying hidden until the first workers are mature enough to take on foraging. Some species are

However, some species use Dependent Colony Founding (DCF), in which queens leave the nest with a group of workers to start a new colony together. These workers provide extra support and protection, allowing the queen to focus on egg-laying from the start.

Amazon Ants, such as Polyergus sp, are unable to start colonies on their own and must be cared for by other ant species (Credit: Jake Nitta)

In parasitic ant species, queens don’t even have to create new nests from scratch. Instead, they infiltrate established nests of other ant species, tricking the resident workers into caring for their eggs. This unique strategy allows parasitic queens to skip the need for foraging or building a nest, using the resources of another colony to establish their own brood.

What Happens When the Queen Dies?

As the colony matures, it becomes more stable and self-sufficient. Most queens live for many years, laying thousands of eggs and producing generation after generation of workers. In some ant species, if the queen dies, the workers may accept a new queen to continue the colony. Some species even have multiple queens that cooperate, creating large colonies that can last for decades or longer. However, in most species, once the queen dies, the colony fades away with her.

When the colony reaches maturity, it will once again produce reproductive ants, starting the cycle anew. This complex life cycle—from the queen’s founding flight to the growth of an organized society within the nest—demonstrates the incredible teamwork and specialization that allow ant colonies to thrive in many different environments.

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