Queen ants are the supreme rulers of the colony and they exert a powerful influence over the other ants in the nest. Queen ants produce pheromones that help to keep the colony together and to ensure that the ants all work together for the common good. The queen also determines the sex of the ants that are born in the colony and she can produce either male or female offspring as she deems necessary.
The queen controls the colony by producing pheromones that influence the behavior of the other ants. For example when the queen is threatened she will produce a pheromone that tells the other ants to attack. If the queen is moved to a new location she will produce a pheromone that tells the other ants to follow her. Queen ants also produce pheromones that regulate the behavior of the other ants in the colony. For example queen ants produce pheromones that tell the worker ants when to forage for food and when to stay in the nest and care for the eggs.
While the queen ant exerts a great deal of control over the colony she is not the only ant that can produce pheromones. Worker ants also produce pheromones that influence the behavior of the other ants. For example when a worker ant finds food she will leave a trail of pheromones that leads the other ants to the food source. Worker ants also produce pheromones that tell the other ants when danger is present and when to flee the nest.
The queen ant and the worker ants use pheromones to communicate with each other and to keep the colony functioning smoothly. Without these pheromones the colony would quickly fall apart.
How does a queen ant control the colony?
By producing chemicals that influence the behavior of the other ants in the colony.
What sort of chemicals does a queen ant produce?
Pheromones.
How do the queen’s pheromones influence the other ants in the colony?
The pheromones affect the development and behavior of the other ants causing them to become either workers or soldiers.
How many eggs does a queen ant lay each day?
A queen ant can lay up to 2000 eggs per day.
Where do the queen’s eggs hatch?
In the nest.
What do the newly hatched ants look like?
They are small and white and have no wings.
How long does it take for an ant to develop into an adult?
Around 60-70 days.
What do the workers do in the colony?
The workers take care of the eggs and larvae build and repair the nest forage for food and defend the colony.
What do the soldiers do in the colony?
The soldiers protect the colony from predators and parasites and fight in wars against other colonies.
How large can an ant colony get?
Some ant colonies can have up to millions of ants.
How long do queen ants live?
Queen ants can live for many years up to 20 years or more in some cases.
How many times can a queen ant mate?
A queen ant can mate multiple times with different males but will usually only mate once or twice in her lifetime.
What happens to the queen ant after she mates?
The queen stores the sperm from the males she mates with in her spermatheca and uses it to fertilize her eggs throughout her life.
What happens to the colony if the queen ant dies?
If the queen ant dies the colony will soon die out as well as there will be no new eggs being laid.
What do some ants do when the queen dies?
Some ants will leave the colony in search of a new queen to start a new colony with.
