What Ants Are Male
WouterOften, males are left out of the conversation about ants. But, if we take a closer look at the insects, we will find that males play an important role in ant colonies.
Male ants are specialized to carry out reproductive biology. They are smaller, have wings and longer antennae. They also have a smaller head than the female. This is to conserve energy for reproduction.
Male ants usually live for about a week. They only come out of their colony for one day in the early summer. They die shortly after mating with the female.
The queen, on the other hand, lives for at least 28 years. She will lay up to a dozen eggs per day. During mating, she will lose her wings. She will then burrow into soft soil that was recently rained on. She will then lay the first brood of worker ants. These ants will then start new colonies.
The queen’s body is made up of most of the same parts as the workers. Her wings are made of muscular mesosomas for flight. She also has a special pheromone marking invaders.
Researchers have been looking at the genes of the ant’s genome to determine how the species determines sex. This could have important implications for how scientists can conserve native North American ants.
Male ants have only one genome copy, whereas female ants have two. Researchers want to know how these sex differences are influenced by climate change and the environment. They also want to know how genes function in different environments.
