What Size Are Ant Eggs?
WouterAmong the smallest insects, ants have a complex life cycle that includes four stages. These stages are the egg, larva, pupa and adult. Each stage of ant development can take from a few weeks to several months.
Ants are one of the most numerous insects in the world. They are classified in the phylum Arthropoda and belong to the Hymenoptera insect order. Ants can live for years under the right conditions.
Ant eggs are oval in shape and about half a millimeter in diameter. They are white or yellow in color. They are soft and sticky. Some ant eggs are eaten by nestmates. Ant eggs hatch in the ground.
Ant larvae are legless. They feed on food constantly. They grow rapidly and molt several times. They require the care of other workers in the colony. Some species of ants spin a cocoon around themselves for protection. The pupa is whitish and gradually changes to darker colors. It is covered with a black dot at the end. It has folded legs.
Ants can be found in many environments, including indoors and outdoors. They have a complex hierarchical social structure. The queen ant is the founder of the colony. It can lay up to 300,000 eggs. It can take several weeks for queens to lay their first batch of eggs.
The queen ant can lay up to 1,000 eggs a day. It can live for up to thirty years. Workers take care of the colony and gather food. They do not reproduce.
