How Do Ants Get a New Queen?

Almost every species of ant has a queen. The queen ant is responsible for reproduction and the colony. A queen can have wings and is usually larger than the other members of the colony.

The queen has a pouch where she stores male sperm. She opens this pouch when it is time for egg-laying. She will fertilize the eggs with the stored sperm. This process will take several weeks. The new queen will cloister herself in the nest for a few weeks.

Once a queen dies, the colony will not grow. The colony will continue to search for food. It will also build a new nest underground. It can take weeks, months, or even years for a colony to die.

The first workers in the colony are nanitics. They are weaker than the other workers because they have received a diet that is less than optimal. These workers will accompany the new queen to the nest site. They will then clean and care for the nest. These workers will also feed the new queen and bring in additional food.

Some species of ants will have multiple queens. This can result in conflict between the ants. The workers may bite the queen. These workers will not accept the new queen as their queen.

The worker ants will not raise a new queen like a honey bee. This means that when the queen dies, the workers will not be able to produce eggs.