Ant Life Cycle

Ant Life Cycle typically goes through four stages egg, larva, pupa, and adult and it is known as complete metamorphosis. The scientific name of the ant is Formicidae. They are the smallest and strongest living creatures on Earth. It belongs to the Arthropoda phylum and Hymenoptera order which can lift objects to 5,000 times their body weight. In this article, we will discuss the ant life cycle, its stages, diagram, and roles in detail.

What Is Ant Life Cycle?

Ants go through four phases in their life cycle: the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This process is called full metamorphosis. Formicidae is the ant’s scientific name. They are the most powerful and tiniest living things on the planet. It is a member of the order Hymenoptera and phylum Arthropoda, which are capable of lifting items up to 5,000 times their own body weight.

Ant Life Cycle – Stages

Ants go through different physical development processes in their whole life. There are four major stages of an ant’s life cycle as mentioned below:

Stage 1: Egg

It is the first step of an ant’s life cycle. In her whole life, a queen ant can give birth to around 150 million workers. Let’s discuss the egg stage of the ant.

• After the mating process, a female ant lays both fertilized and unfertilized eggs.
• The ant eggs are tiny and transparent.
• Ant eggs are 0.5 mm in size.
• They are oval in shape and white in color.
• After 5-7 days these eggs hatch.
• The fertilized eggs gave birth to the female ants.
• The unfertilized eggs raise the male ants.

Stage 2: Larvae

Larvae is the second stage where the eggs hatch and initiate the larvae stage of the ant. Here are the details of this stage as mentioned below:

• The larvae come out from the eggs without any eyes or legs.
• At this stage, larvae go through the moulting series.
• In this moulting process, hair continues to develop.
• Moulting is a biological process where animals shed or cast off their body parts for a certain time.
• For the worker ants, the hair takes a hook shape.
• This hook helps them to carry larvae ants.
• In this stage, the larvae depend for food on the adult worker ants.

Stage 3: Pupa

The third stage of an ant’s lifecycle is the pupa stage. After several molting processes the ant larvae turn into a pupa. Let us discuss the important things related to the stage:

• In this stage, the development of eyes, legs, and wings happens.
• Antennae and legs wrapped around their bodies.
• The Lasius niger ants does not undergo through this pupa stage.

Stage 4: Adult

It is the final stage where ants hatch out from the eggs. The process takes up to 6 – 10 weeks to develop.

• The exoskeleton prevents the pupa from becoming larger.
• At the adult stage, the fully developed ants hatch after becoming mature.
• The mature ants are soft and lightweight.
• After the hatch, they usually look like lightly colored insects.
• After a few hours, the outer part becomes darker and hard.

Stage 5: Reproductive Stage

Different ant species use different reproduction processes. Some females of certain ant species can perform reproduction through thelytokous parthenogenesis. It is an asexual reproduction process. But most of the species follow the sexual reproduction cycle where only the queen and breeding females take part in the process.

• In the reproductive stage some ants develop wings.
• Both male and female ant can develop wings in this stage.
• Mature queen ants fly away to find suitable male partners during the mating period.
• Fertilized queens lay eggs within a new colony that starts again the ant life cycle.

Diagram of Ant Life Cycle

The labelled diagram of Ant life cycle is shown below:

Roles of Ants in the Colony

Unlike every community, ants also have the Hierarchy and Castes. Adult ants are can be divided into three different categories and they do some specific works in a colony. Here we will discuss about them.

The Queen Ants

The queen ants are the large adult females which can lay eggs in a particular ant colony.

• They are the mother of a particular ant community.
• Initially, they fly away to find suitable male partners during the mating period.
• A queen ant can be involved in so many sexual relations with so many male ants and never mate again.
• They store the sperm in an internal pouch present near the tip of the abdomen for the future.
• Fertilized queens lay eggs within a new colony that starts a new life cycle.

Reproductive Male Ants

The male ants also have wings that have only one purpose to mate with queens.

• They live for only some weeks.
• They look like the worker ants.
• These male ants have small heads with two large eyes.
• After the mating period they die.
• They do not have any responsibility.

Worker Ants

Worker ants are the main workforce of an ant community. They all are female in gender. Let us discuss them in detail.

• Worker ants are sterile and they can not produce eggs.
• They do not have any wings.
• They can survive for several months.
• As per the age, their responsibilities change gradually.
• A young worker ant spend most of her life inside an anthill. They take care of the brood, clean the nest, and feed the other workers.
• The older worker ant focuses on the tasks outside of the colony. They also work as the defense of the colony.
• The oldest worker ants are the food collectors. They live outside the clan to search for food for others.

Functions of Ants

Ants plays some major roles to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. There are almost 10000 species of ants present in this world. An ant colony consists of around 20 million members. Here are some major functions of ants as mentioned below:

• Ants create tunnels in the soil that improves water and air circulation into it.
• Ants help to spread seeds and helps in the plant growth and diversity.
• Ants break the organic matters into small parts that contribute the nutrients in the soil.
• Ants control the breeding of so many insects by hunting and consuming them.
• Ants help maintain a balanced ecosystem by controlling the agricultural pests.

Biological Classification Of Ant

Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera. This order contains a diverse group of insects that also includes bees, wasps, and sawflies. So, lets discuss the Biological Classification Of Ant.

Biological Classification Of Ant
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Formicidae

How Long Do Ants Live?

The lifespan of an ant may vary depending on the caste and species. Ultimately the environmental conditions can regulate ants’ lifespan. Here are some details as mentioned below.

• Queen Ants: Queen ants are the mother of an ant colony. They live significantly longer than the worker ants.
• Male Ants: Male ants are known as drones. They have a short lifespan. They die after the mating process due to Nuptial flight.
• Worker Ants: Worker ants are the backbone of a clan. They live for a few weeks to several months.

Conclusion – Ant Life Cycle

In this article we have learned about the Ant Life Cycle and the hierarchy and castes of the ants. Ant Life Cycle typically goes through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This process is known as complete metamorphosis. The life cycle of an ant spans between 6 – 10 weeks. Different ant species use different reproduction processes. Some females of certain ant species can perform reproduction through thelytokous parthenogenesis.

FAQs – Ant Life Cycle

How long is the Life Cycle of an Ant?

The life cycle of an ant spans between 6 – 10 weeks. Different ant species use different reproduction processes.

Do Ants live 30 years?

In some species, the queens can live to be 30 years old. The lifespan of an ant may vary depending on the caste and species.

Are Ants Male or Female?

Every ant colony has one or more queens. Even though the worker ants are female. The male ants also have wings that have only one purpose to mate with queens.

Do ants have Blood?

Most insects like ants, bees and grasshoppers have clear blood.

How does a Queen Ant Get Pregnant?

Initially, they fly away to find suitable male partners during the mating period. A queen ant can be involved in so many sexual relations with so many male ants and never mate again. They store the sperm in an internal pouch present near the tip of the abdomen for the future.

How Many Ants are Born in a day?

It is estimated that there are about 1.5 million ants born every day. Ant colonies can vary widely in size. Some larger colonies may have significantly higher birth rates.

How are Ants Born?

Mature queen ants fly away during the mating period. Fertilized queens lay eggs within a new colony that starts again the ant life cycle.

Can Ants Survive without a Queen?

Ant colonies may survive temporarily without a queen. But the queen is essential for long-term reproduction and growth of an ant colony.