How do ants reproduce?

Each species of ant has a slightly different story. The popular (and most common) case is summarized in the first section below. I'll try to give a few more exotic examples after that (not an exhaustive list!). In general, it is a fair generalization to say that all workers are female. read more

These ants have dominance hierarchies -- a sole reproductive and several"beta" mated workers beneath her that do not reproduce but also do not work. When she dies, one of the betas will become the queen of the colony. However, sometimes a beta will try to ascend early and become the sole reproductive. read more

Ant communities rely on the queen to lay thousands of eggs. Worker ants are winged female ants that don't reproduce, they find food, care for the queen's offspring, work on the nest and protect the community. Male ants have the sole purpose of mating with the queen. Ants eat leaves, fungi, honey, nectar, small insects and dead animals. read more

A queen ant (formally known as a gyne) is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants, such as Cataglyphis cursor, do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning, and all of those offspring will be female. read more

These ants have dominance hierarchies -- a sole reproductive and several "beta" mated workers beneath her that do not reproduce but also do not work. When she dies, one of the betas will become the queen of the colony. However, sometimes a beta will try to ascend early and become the sole reproductive. read more

Worker ants are winged female ants that don't reproduce, they find food, care for the queen's offspring, work on the nest and protect the community. Male ants have the sole purpose of mating with the queen. Ants eat leaves, fungi, honey, nectar, small insects and dead animals. They vary in size and color depending on the species of ant. read more