{"id":2389,"date":"2022-03-01T17:01:38","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T09:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=2389"},"modified":"2023-09-19T20:13:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T12:13:08","slug":"how-do-ants-reproduce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Ants Reproduce?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Depending on the species, ants can reproduce either sexually or asexually. This means that ants may produce offspring with or without mating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll learn more as we discuss sexual and asexual reproduction in ants. Before that though, a brief 101 on ant reproduction. Specifically, we\u2019ll learn about reproductive division of labor and which ants can reproduce.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-b-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"how do ants reproduce\" class=\"wp-image-3340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-b-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-b-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-b-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-b.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:..._ant_--_queen_weaver_ant_(6185121219).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Dinesh Valke from Thane, India<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Reproductive_Division_of_Labor\" title=\"Reproductive Division of Labor\">Reproductive Division of Labor<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Can_Worker_Ants_Reproduce\" title=\"Can Worker Ants Reproduce?\">Can Worker Ants Reproduce?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Sexual_Reproduction_In_Ants\" title=\"Sexual Reproduction In Ants\">Sexual Reproduction In Ants<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Swarming\" title=\"Swarming\">Swarming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Budding\" title=\"Budding\">Budding<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Asexual_Reproduction_in_Ants\" title=\"Asexual Reproduction in Ants\">Asexual Reproduction in Ants<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Related_Questions\" title=\"Related Questions\">Related Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#How_Many_Eggs_Do_Ants_Lay_Per_Day\" title=\"How Many Eggs Do Ants Lay Per Day?\">How Many Eggs Do Ants Lay Per Day?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Can_an_Ant_Colony_Have_Multiple_Queens\" title=\"Can an Ant Colony Have Multiple Queens?\">Can an Ant Colony Have Multiple Queens?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/#Summary_How_Do_Ants_Reproduce\" title=\"Summary: How Do Ants Reproduce?\">Summary: How Do Ants Reproduce?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reproductive_Division_of_Labor\"><\/span>Reproductive Division of Labor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reproductive division of labor is a feature found in eusocial insects like ants. It is a key characteristic that has allowed ants to become one of the most successful animals in the world. See this article to learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/are-ants-eusocial\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2252\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ants as eusocial animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants have 2 female castes: queens and workers. Queens specializes in reproduction. In most ant species, the <strong>queens bear all the reproductive burden<\/strong>. Their sole purpose is to generate thousands of eggs to grow the colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Workers, on the other hand, are generally sterile. Instead of giving birth to their own young, they focus on helping the queen. They do everything from nest maintenance and brood care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Worker_Ants_Reproduce\"><\/span>Can Worker Ants Reproduce?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While rare, <strong>there are some worker ants that can reproduce<\/strong>. Gamergate ants, for example, are workers that can sexually reproduce. They have functioning spermathecae and can produce fertilized eggs. [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gamergate_(ant)\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gamergate_(ant)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/PL00001724\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/PL00001724\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In some species, gamergate ants reproduce alongside queens. Sometimes they even take all reproductive responsibility in queenless colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sexual_Reproduction_In_Ants\"><\/span>Sexual Reproduction In Ants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most ants reproduce sexually. This means that they <strong>mate and produce offspring<\/strong> through the combination of the sperm and the egg. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/sexual-reproduction\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/sexual-reproduction\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They do this through 2 methods: swarming and budding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Swarming\"><\/span>Swarming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Swarming is a process in which reproductive ants leave their nest to mate. It&#8217;s a common method found in many ant species which seek to disperse and establish new colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swarm of Ants Flies For The First Time | Empire Of The Desert Ants | BBC Earth\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mMsQOrIhsA8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At certain times of the year, reproductive ants participate in the nuptial flight. <strong>They fly out and swarm with ants from other colonies to mate.<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Nuptial_Flights_and_Mating\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Nuptial_Flights_and_Mating\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There, queens mate with drones until they fill up their spermatheca. This spermatheca is a specialized pouch where queens store sperm. There they maintain the sperm until they use it for fertilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After mating, both males and queens lose their wings. The males, having fulfilled their purpose, die soon after. The queens, on the other hand, seek refuge and seal themselves off to safety.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once they&#8217;re secure, they use the sperm to lay fertilized eggs. These eggs will eventually hatch into workers which marks the start of a new colony. They then continue laying eggs to expand their colonies. When they&#8217;re ready to expand, they then produce queens and males to restart the cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Budding\"><\/span>Budding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Budding is a process that occurs in colonies with more than one reproductive queen. It&#8217;s a reproductive strategy that doesn&#8217;t include a dispersal flight. Instead, ants simply <strong>mate within or near their nests<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They then establish colonies through fragmentation or budding. This occurs when a group of <strong>workers and their individual queens move to new nests and create new colonies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These colonies may become hostile or retain firm ties with their maternal colony. The latter allows for the cooperative exchange of brood, workers, and reproductives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Asexual_Reproduction_in_Ants\"><\/span>Asexual Reproduction in Ants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some ant species can <strong>reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis<\/strong>.\u00a0This method of reproduction allows for the development of embryos without fertilization. Essentially, parthenogenesis allows ants to clone themselves. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Parthenogenesis\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Parthenogenesis\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One example is the ant species <em>Cataglyphis cursor<\/em>. Both queens and workers of this species can produce new queens through parthenogenesis. They are also one of the ant rare species that can reproduce sexually and asexually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other asexual ants include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Mycocepurus smithii<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Ooceraea biroi<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Wasmannia auropunctata<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Platythyrea punctata<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Questions\"><\/span>Related Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camponotus_crispulus_queen_ant-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camponotus_crispulus_queen_ant-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camponotus_crispulus_queen_ant-1-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camponotus_crispulus_queen_ant-1-768x578.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Camponotus_crispulus_queen_ant.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Alex Wild<\/a>, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_Eggs_Do_Ants_Lay_Per_Day\"><\/span>How Many Eggs Do Ants Lay Per Day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Healthy queen ants can lay hundreds of eggs daily<\/strong>. For example, fire ant queens that are properly fed are capable of laying around 800 eggs per day.\u00a0[<a href=\"http:\/\/liveoak.agrilife.org\/files\/2011\/07\/House_Infesting_Ants_Management_15.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/liveoak.agrilife.org\/files\/2011\/07\/House_Infesting_Ants_Management_15.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">6<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gamergates, on the other hand, are often less capable. They can typically only produce half of what queens can do daily. This is why their colonies tend to be smaller.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_an_Ant_Colony_Have_Multiple_Queens\"><\/span>Can an Ant Colony Have Multiple Queens?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, an ant colony can have multiple queens. These colonies are called polygynous colonies. T<strong>hey can have 2 to millions of egg-laying queens.<\/strong> Polygynous ants include species from the <em>Ponerinae,<\/em> <em>Myrmeciinae<\/em>, <em>Myrmicinae<\/em>, <em>Dolichoderinae<\/em>, and <em>Formicinae<\/em> genera. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Polygyny\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.antwiki.org\/wiki\/Polygyny\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check this article to learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-many-queens-are-in-an-ant-colony\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2543\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how many queens are in an ant colony<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_How_Do_Ants_Reproduce\"><\/span>Summary: How Do Ants Reproduce?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, ants can reproduce either asexually or sexually. Asexual ants reproduce through parthenogenesis, wherein they clone themselves. Ants that reproduce sexually, on the other hand, reproduce by swarming or budding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Depending on the species, ants can reproduce either sexually or asexually. This means that ants may produce offspring with or without mating. In this article, we\u2019ll learn more as we discuss sexual and asexual reproduction in ants. Before that though, a brief 101 on ant reproduction. Specifically, we\u2019ll learn about reproductive division of labor and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3734,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389\/revisions\/3734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}