Ant Social Behavior

Ants are social insects, forming complex communities typically consisting of a queen, female workers, and males. The queen is the central figure in a colony, her primary role being to lay thousands of eggs to ensure the colony’s growth and continuation. Depending on the species, a colony might have a single queen or multiple queens.

The female worker ants, which are wingless and the ants most commonly seen by humans, fulfill various roles within the colony. They forage for food, tend to the queen’s offspring, maintain and expand the nest, and defend the colony from threats. Despite their name, worker ants never reproduce.

Male ants, on the other hand, generally only serve a brief reproductive role. Their primary purpose is to mate with the queen, after which they typically die soon afterward. This division of labor within the ant colony ensures its survival, efficiency, and growth.