How Long Do Ants Live?
WouterDepending on the species, the lifespan of ants can range from a week to 30 years. The life expectancy of ants depends on sex, caste, and the colony’s needs.
Ants can live up to 30 years in captivity, but queen ants rarely live longer than 15 years. In the wild, they live shorter lives. The length of the queen’s life depends on factors such as the species, the colony’s needs, and the environment.
Ants are small insects with large compound eyes and antennae. Their diet includes proteins and sugars that enable them to sustain large colonies. Ants also help the soil by dispersing seeds and pollinating plants. The number of ant species in North America is estimated to be over 1,000. Some species act as biological-control agents, while others act as pests.
Some ants, such as black garden ants, are known to live up to thirty years. Queens in the harvester ant species can also live up to fifteen years. Termite queens can live for as long as 20 years.
Whether a queen ant lives for a few years or for decades depends on the ant’s caste and the colony’s needs. Workers, meanwhile, can live from a year to eight years.
The lifespan of ants can also be a matter of luck. If the queen is born in an environment with a lot of food and a stable colony, she may live a longer life. The longer the queen lives, the more time the colony has to send more queens to fertilize.
