Ants are one of the most abundant pests existing between us for thousands of years. These pests are most social because of their ability to adapt and live in various ecosystems.
These pesky pests are surviving and living in human society because of their reproduction capacity.
The ants’ lifecycle is a complex phenomenon that shows us the process of finding, selecting, mating, and successfully surviving different stages.
Let’s peep into the world of ants and understand their lifecycle.
The Ant Life Cycle:
Ants are other social insects having four life stages: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. The entire process may take up to 60 days from start to finish.
If we understand each process of the ants’ lifecycle in detail, we will be able to combat an ant infestation more effectively.
Egg Stage:
The life cycle of an ant begins inside the tiny egg. The fertilized females lay the larvae inside the ant colonies after mating with the male ants. If you are unaware, let us give you a rough estimate about the number of eggs an ant lays in a single day.
A single army ant can lay up to 3,00,000 eggs in a single day. Leafcutter ants can lay up to 150 million workers ants in their entire life.
Larvae Stage:
It is the development stage of an ant. In this stage, the ants’ eggs will turn into larvae, and it develops faster. The ant stage will last around seven to fourteen days, where an ant will shed or molts its skin.
Pupae Stage:
The third stage of an ant lifecycle lasts for six to ten weeks. In this ant stage, the ants will spin around the protective cocoon like a butterfly. Some of the ants will remain uncovered.
Adult Stage:
It is the final stage of an ant lifecycle where an ant has fully formed and ready to go. If you have an ant infestation, it is best to churn out thousands of workers’ ants and eliminate the ant colony in this stage.
Ant Swarms:
Each ant colony begins with the Queen Ant, whose sole purpose is to reproduce throughout her lifetime. The virgin-winged queens and winged males swarm in search of mating. They are called alates.
Starting a New Colony:
After mating with the male ants, the female ants never mate again. They store the sperms of the male ants inside a special pouch that allows them to produce and lay eggs.
The fertilized Queen Ant scurries in search of the nest and raises the first brood of worker ants.
After successfully raising these ants, the worker ants will take care of developing an ant colony.
The Lifespan of an Ant:
The lifespan of an ant majorly depends upon the types of species. Nevertheless, ants can live up to few weeks to around 15 years. The queen plays a crucial role in the ant colony. If the queen ant dies, the entire ant colony will get vanished. Thus, we can say, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.
Wrapping Up:
After understanding every detail of an ant lifecycle, homeowners need to keep an eye on these scurrying pests as they may create havoc inside and around your house. If you are dealing with an ant infestation, immediately call the professional pest control experts.