How Can Worker Ants Become Queen?
WouterThousands of insect species are known to have workers that are responsible for foraging and reproduction. Some of these workers are also responsible for social behavior, as they police conflicts within their colony.
Most ants spend their lives supporting the colony. However, some species have social colonies that require two or more generations to form.
The idea of an ant nest is to mimic life in the ground. This includes the storage of food, which results in larger and healthier ants.
A queen ant lays millions of eggs, which will become workers, or reproductives. When the queen dies, the colony will collapse. In some species, the colony will produce multiple queens. These queens have different strategies for ensuring reproduction in their colony.
Some ants, such as Jerdon’s jumping ant, have socially unique traits. They engage in dueling tournaments to determine who will be the next queen. These tournaments last up to a month. Depending on the situation, a dueling ant will exhibit different behavioral patterns.
Several species of ants are known to have intercastes, which are developmental anomalies. These workers are not reared in the colony, but they are conspicuous in their appearance.
These workers are also known to have non-reproductive behaviors. In some cases, they are able to form new colonies with new roles. These new roles are usually determined by genetic changes.
Researchers have found that hormones regulate social behavior in bees and ants. These researchers have also discovered that a protein tweak can determine whether an ant is a worker or a queen.
