When an ant colony begins to grow too large for the current queen to manage she will begin to lay eggs that will result in new queens. The process of an ant becoming a queen can be quite lengthy and detailed but essentially the new queens will battle it out until only one remains. This remaining queen will be the new queen of the colony.
The old queen will continue to lay eggs but her primary focus will shift to grooming and feeding the new queen. The new queen will take on all of the duties of the colony including reproduction. Once she is established the new queen will begin to lay her own eggs and the cycle will continue.
Queen ants can live for many years and their sole purpose is to reproduce. They typically mate with multiple males and they store the sperm in their bodies to use as they see fit. This allows them to have full control over the genetic makeup of their offspring.
Queen ants are typically much larger than the worker ants in the colony. This is due to the fact that they need to be able to lay a large number of eggs. They also have a harder exoskeleton to protect them from injury.
If you find an ant queen in your home it is best to leave her be. She will not cause any harm and she will eventually leave on her own. If you attempt to kill her you will likely just end up killing a lot of worker ants in the process.
How does an ant become a queen ant?
Once the eggs hatch the larvae are cared for by the worker ants.
After about a month the larvae pupate and emerge as adults.
The vast majority of these are wingless sterile females or workers and a few males.
A small percentage of the females develop wings and become fertile females or queens.
How many king and queen ants are there in a colony?
There is only one king and one queen per colony.
How long do queen ants live?
Queen ants can live up to 30 years.
How many eggs does a queen ant lay in her lifetime?
A queen ant can lay up to 2000 eggs per day and up to 150 million in her lifetime.
What is the main difference between a worker ant and a queen ant?
The main difference between a worker ant and a queen ant is that a worker ant is sterile and a queen ant is fertile.
Do all ants have wings?
Not all ants have wings.
Only the fertile females or queens and the males have wings.
How do ants communicate?
Ants communicate through chemicals called pheromones.
What do ants eat?
Ants eat a variety of things but most commonly they eat insects and other small animals as well as honeydew (a sweet substance secreted by aphids and other sucking insects).
What is the most common type of ant?
The most common type of ant is the worker ant.
What is the purpose of a worker ant?
The purpose of a worker ant is to care for the larvae build and repair the nest and gather food.
What is the purpose of a queen ant?
The purpose of a queen ant is to mate and lay eggs.
How do ants protect themselves?
Ants protect themselves by biting and stinging.
They also release a noxious substance from their abdomens that can repel predators.
What do ants do in the winter?
In the winter ants go into a state of dormancy called diapause.
During diapause they do not eat drink or mate.
How do ants help the environment?
Ants help the environment by aerating the soil and recycling nutrients.
They also help control other pests such as aphids and termites.
What is the biggest ant in the world?
The biggest ant in the world is the bull ant.
