Ant Life Cycle

Ant Life Cycle

May 15, 2023, 16:45 IST

Ants are a well-known household pest because they are ubiquitous and challenging to eradicate. What begins as a few wayward ants in your home can easily turn into a steady stream. The number of adult ants, pupa, larvae, and eggs that make up the colony is likely far larger than the ants you can see. The entire colony and all life phases must be targeted for effective ant management.

Introduction

We've all witnessed a line of ants traversing our floors and walls while we pondered their entrance and exit. Ants are social insects that are members of the order Hymenoptera and class Insecta. They originate from the largest and unquestionably ancient insect colony. A typical ant colony could include as many as 20 million members and have over 10,000-20,000 different species. Formicidae is the family name for ants in science.

In the summer, along with the rest of the insect community, ants are visible in tropical forests. Queens, workers, and soldiers make up the three groups into which ants are separated. An ant's life cycle can last anywhere between a few weeks and several months, depending on the surrounding environment.

Ant Reproduction

Ants are social insects with a social structure in which the queen and worker ants share tasks. While worker ants forage and gather food, brood, and maintain the nest, queen ants are in charge of reproduction and dissemination. When we discuss ant reproduction, we must distinguish it from mammalian reproduction. In contrast to other insects, ants are unable to reproduce. The other female ants are sterile; only the queen ant may reproduce. Drone ants are fertile male ants that are prepared to mate with the queen ant.

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The Ant's Life Cycle

It could be helpful to briefly go over the many stages of the ant life cycle when explaining how ants reproduce. Ants undergo a variety of physical changes over their lifetimes. Every ant colony revolves around the queen, whose main responsibility is reproduction. Egg, larva, pupa, and adult are the four stages of the life cycle of an ant since it entails a complete change.

The phases are as follows.

• Stage 1: Egg stage

The emergence of a tiny, white, and sparkling egg marks the beginning of the existence of ant. Compared to males, females are born from fertilized eggs and males from unfertilized eggs. The eggs will take 7 to 10 days to hatch. Did you know that a queen leafcutter ant may lay up to 300,000 eggs in a single day and a queen army ant up to 150 million workers throughout her lifetime?

• Stage 2: Larvae stage

Little larvae without eyes or legs develop from the small eggs. The larvae then undergo several moulting stages, during which their hair continues to grow. Because worker ants do not yet have legs or eyes, their hair is formed like a hook, which makes it easier for them to capture ant larvae. During this stage, the ant larvae mostly consume adult worker drones while going through multiple moults.

• Stage 3: Pupa stage

The ant larvae must undergo several moults before they reach the pupa stage. Physical traits like legs, wings, and eyes may start to appear. During the pupal stage, ants have antennae and legs wrap around their bodies.

• Stage 4: Adult stage

The adult ant hatches from the eggs after 6 to 10 weeks, starting the pupal stage of development. An adult has matured when it hatches because its exoskeleton prevents it from growing larger. At first, the adult ant is soft and light-coloured, but after a few hours, the exterior of the ant turns darker and firmer.

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Do Ants Live a Long Time?

Depending on the species, ants can live for several years. Following mating, male ants perish, whereas female worker ants live for many years. The queen ant can live for decades if the habitat is suitable.

The average lifespan of an ant might be anywhere from a few weeks and 15 years. This largely depends on the genus of the ant, activity level, and available food sources. For instance, a black garden ant can live for fifty years, yet workers of fire ants are only supposed to live for around a month. It is reported that some queens ruled for up to 28 years!

All mature reproductive ants have wings and swarm to find a mate. The female leaves the colony in search of a suitable nesting spot after the adults have mated. Once she has located a suitable nesting location, the female ant tears off her wings. After that, she starts to dig the nest. Once it is big enough, she starts laying eggs, which take a few weeks to hatch. Once the first generation has been raised, they take care of the queen, who never again leaves the nest. Asexual parthenogenesis or continuing to reproduce without mating are also options available to the queen ant.

The offspring will be exact replicas of their mother but will continue to be sterile females unless they are chosen to become reproductive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Do ants live forever?

Ans. Depending on the species, ants can live for a long time. In contrast to worker ants, which can live for several months, a male worker ant dies after mating. If the surrounding conditions are favourable, the queen ant can live for many years.

Q2. Are there wings on ants?

Ans. Flying ants such as male ants and baby queen ants mate. To start a new life after mating, the female ant loses her wings.

Q3. Why does sugar attract ants?

Ans. In nature, ants are omnivores since they consume many types of food, including plants, leaves, and fruit. When ants come across sugar, they assemble other ants and bring the sugar back to their colony so that other ants can use it as a source of energy.

Q4. What is the queen?

Ans. Every ant colony contains at least one queen.While worker ants forage for food, gather it, raise their brood, and maintain the nest, queen ants are in charge of reproduction and dispersal. For instance, the Argentine ant may have two or more.

Q5. What are drones?

Ans. The only purpose of drones, which are flying reproductive males, is to mate with queens.