How Long Do Fire Ants Live?

Depending on the species, how long do fire ants live can range from two weeks to 35 days. This depends on the number of ants and how much food there is in the colony. If there is no food, the ants may die. If they do survive, they may live up to seven years.

The life cycle of ants depends on the social structure of the colony. For example, the colony can be lost if there are no workers to feed the queen. In such a case, the queen is the only reproductive member of the colony. The queen can lay more eggs than the number of workers in the colony.

The queens of fire ant colonies are usually larger than workers. They are able to lay about a dozen eggs per day. The female fire ants will dig a chamber in the soil and lay her eggs. The eggs hatch within seven to 10 days.

The female fire ant will then shed her wings. This is to exclude weaker males. The reproductive fire ants will then mate in the air. The mating process takes two to three minutes. The ants then fly hundreds of feet. The male ants will die shortly after mating.

The queen of the fire ant colony will live for about seven years. The colony may contain multiple queens. If there are more than one queen in the colony, each queen will lay more eggs than the number of workers in a colony.