![]() ![]() ![]() The eggs hatch as workers, and a new colony begins. The queens survive by re-absorbing the muscles that powered their wings for food while they wait for their first batch of eggs to hatch. They chew their wings off and find somewhere safe to hide, where they begin producing eggs. The females, on the other hand, will fly off and start nests of their own. They perform no role in the life of the colony beyond fertilizing the females. ![]() After swarming, called the nuptial flight, the male ants die. Swarming is typical reproductive behavior It also allows ants to mate with individuals from other colonies which would normally fight one another. This ensures that only the strongest and fittest males reach the females and reproduce. The females release a pheromone trail that the males follow, while the females attempt to escape the males. When weather conditions are just right, these winged reproductive ants emerge from the colony and take to the sky in swarms. Sterile female ants, but if the larvae are fed a particularly rich diet, theyĬan develop into reproductive females, destined to become queens themselves. Fertilized eggs will usually develop into Of laying unfertilized eggs, which will develop into male ants. These eggs will hatch into sterile females. Spend the rest of her life producing eggs to help the colony grow. Once a queen establishes a colony, she rarely leaves again. Is the only member of the colony capable of reproducing – at least for most of Flying ants may be male (the drone) or female (the queen). Winged ants are seeking to breed and reproduce. Incapable of reproduction, these sisters perform most of the tasks needed to keep the colony going, such as foraging for food and tending to the queen and the juvenile ants. The vast majority of these insects are sterile females. Ants have a fascinating lifecycle and colonies operate under a rigid caste system in which each individual has a clearly defined role. ![]()
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