How Fast Do Ants Multiply?
WouterBesides the important role they play in ecosystems around the world, ants have also contributed to human health. They disperse seeds, and some ants even act as biological control agents. The answer to the question “how fast do ants multiply” depends on the species of ant.
Ants reproduce through parthenogenesis. This means that each ant only has one genome copy. This allows ants to pass on the same genes repeatedly, resulting in many offspring with the same genes. This type of colony can take six months to a year to establish, and it may take up to six years to produce a new queen.
In ant colonies, a queen lays a large number of eggs. Some of these eggs become wingless female workers, while others are fertile and become female queens. These queens are capable of producing more workers, and they continue to produce more workers until the colony reaches a size that is suitable for the queen.
After mating, the queen breaks off her wings, and she starts to lay eggs. These eggs are much larger than worker eggs. The queen tends to the eggs until they are mature. The eggs are then fertilized and become the queen’s first brood of larvae. The larvae grow larger and are fed by the workers.
The females are able to survive only for a few months after mating, so the queen will continue to forage for food for the workers. When she dies, the workers will die off.
