{"id":2513,"date":"2022-04-06T19:33:11","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T11:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=2513"},"modified":"2022-08-15T05:23:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T21:23:06","slug":"what-do-queen-ants-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Queen Ants Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>In most ant species, queens are tasked to bear all reproductive burden. Meaning despite worker ants also being female, it is typically only the queens which can mate and reproduce. With that, they\u2019re also, in most cases, the only ones which can establish and grow new colonies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll look deeper into the role of the queen ant and discuss how queen ants mate, how they establish and grow colonies, and finally, how they eventually produce new reproductive ants to repeat the cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 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\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#How_Do_Queen_Ants_Mate\" title=\"How Do Queen Ants Mate?\">How Do Queen Ants Mate?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#How_Queen_Ants_Grow_The_Colony\" title=\"How Queen Ants Grow The Colony\">How Queen Ants Grow The Colony<\/a><\/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\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#Colony_Maturity\" title=\"Colony Maturity\">Colony Maturity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#How_Long_Do_Queen_Ants_Live\" title=\"How Long Do Queen Ants Live?\">How Long Do Queen Ants Live?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#How_Many_Eggs_Can_Queen_Ants_Lay\" title=\"How Many Eggs Can Queen Ants Lay?\">How Many Eggs Can Queen Ants Lay?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#What_Happens_When_The_Queen_Ant_Dies\" title=\"What Happens When The Queen Ant Dies?\">What Happens When The Queen Ant Dies?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#Can_A_Queen_Ant_Survive_Alone\" title=\"Can A Queen Ant Survive Alone?\">Can A Queen Ant Survive Alone?<\/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\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#How_Are_New_Queen_Ants_Produced\" title=\"How Are New Queen Ants Produced?\">How Are New Queen Ants Produced?<\/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\/what-do-queen-ants-do\/#Summary_What_Do_Queen_Ants_Do\" title=\"Summary: What Do Queen Ants Do?\">Summary: What Do Queen Ants Do?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Queen_Ants_Mate\"><\/span>How Do Queen Ants Mate?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In most ant species queen ants mate through the nuptial flight, wherein they <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/can-queen-ants-fly\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2524\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fly out<\/a> of their maternal nests and swarm with other reproductive ants. There they <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-reproduce\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2389\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mate with different males<\/a> until they fill up their spermatheca, an organ in which sperm can be stored and maintained until it\u2019s used for fertilization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After that, they send out signals to stop mating, lose their wings, and head towards their deemed ideal nesting site where they\u2019ll burrow, seal themselves off and start laying eggs to start a new colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also ant colonies wherein queens don\u2019t participate in the nuptial flight but instead mate within or near their maternal nests. This is a characteristic of polygynous colonies wherein a colony may have more than one queen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of swarming, they expand colonies through fragmentation or budding which happens when a group of workers and their individual queens break away from the maternal nest and move to their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Queen_Ants_Grow_The_Colony\"><\/span>How Queen Ants Grow The Colony<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After securing themselves in their nests, queen ants then start using the stored sperm to lay eggs that hatch new workers. For queens which participated in the nuptial flight, these eggs would soon become the first generation of workers and officially mark the start of a new colony.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before that happens though, she\u2019ll have to take care of her first worker brood by <a href=\"http:\/\/ant.miyakyo-u.ac.jp\/BE\/Kingdom\/2021\/2021e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">feeding them with salivary secretions<\/a> from her mouth. These secretions do just enough to allow her first workers to hatch, although they\u2019ll typically be smaller compared to the other workers of their species due to lack of nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In any case, when these workers hatch, they t<a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/what-do-worker-ants-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2509\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ake a great load off the queen<\/a> as they assume responsibility for nest building, <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-find-food\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2115\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">foraging for food<\/a>, and taking care of the queen and her succeeding brood. This allows the queen to focus solely on laying eggs to grow <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/ant-colony-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2516\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the colony<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Colony_Maturity\"><\/span>Colony Maturity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the colony reaches optimum stability and size, the queens will start to produce the next batch of reproductive ants. Through selective reproduction, queens may produce either new male drones or new queen ants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When these new reproductive ants mature, they soon emerge from their nests for the nuptial flight. From there, the cycle continues.<\/p>\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-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"how do ants reproduce\" class=\"wp-image-2391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-reproduce.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:..._ant_--_queen_weaver_ant_(6185121219).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dinesh Valke from Thane, India<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Long_Do_Queen_Ants_Live\"><\/span>How Long Do Queen Ants Live?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Queen ants live the longest among the other members of the colony. Depending on the species they may live for multiple years. Fire ant queens for example, can <a href=\"https:\/\/fireant.tamu.edu\/learn\/fire-ant-habitat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live up to 7 years or more<\/a> while <em>Lasius niger<\/em> queens have been <a href=\"https:\/\/entnemdept.ufl.edu\/walker\/ufbir\/chapters\/chapter_34.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">documented to live for 28 years<\/a> in captivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_Eggs_Can_Queen_Ants_Lay\"><\/span>How Many Eggs Can Queen Ants Lay?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It varies between species but in general, queen ants can produce hundreds to sometimes even thousands of eggs daily. Over the course of their lifetime, hundreds of thousands to millions of eggs. Army and driver ants for example, are known to have <a href=\"https:\/\/entnemdept.ufl.edu\/walker\/ufbir\/chapters\/chapter_18.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high fecundity among ants<\/a> with queens of select species like the <em>Dorylus wilverthi<\/em>, capable of producing millions of eggs within just one to a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Happens_When_The_Queen_Ant_Dies\"><\/span>What Happens When The Queen Ant Dies?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For some ant colonies, the death of the queen marks the death of the colony itself. Without the queen the colony eventually dies off as workers continue to reach the end of their lifespan. In other cases, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0003347209004047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dead queens are replaced by younger queens<\/a> which the colony deems fit to take over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_A_Queen_Ant_Survive_Alone\"><\/span>Can A Queen Ant Survive Alone?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Up to a certain extent yes, as they do when starting out. However, they would eventually need to raise a group of workers that would help feed and clean them, otherwise they would most likely end up dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Are_New_Queen_Ants_Produced\"><\/span>How Are New Queen Ants Produced?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Queen ants are produced through fertilized eggs, the same eggs that sterile worker ants hatch out off. Queens however are fed more as larvae, allowing them to morph into bigger, and in a lot of cases, winged ants capable of flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_What_Do_Queen_Ants_Do\"><\/span>Summary: What Do Queen Ants Do?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Queen ants are essentially the lifeline of the ant colony. Bearing all reproductive burden, it generally only through them that new ants are produced. As such, only they can establish and grow new colonies to maturity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In most ant species, queens are tasked to bear all reproductive burden. Meaning despite worker ants also being female, it is typically only the queens which can mate and reproduce. With that, they\u2019re also, in most cases, the only ones which can establish and grow new colonies. In this article, we&#8217;ll look deeper into the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2514,"comment_status":"open","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\/2513"}],"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=2513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}