How ant colonies divide their roles and responsibilities

Ants are insects of the family Formicidae, in the suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera, and there are a great many species. Their division of roles generally consists of 2 levels, the queen and the workers, with unfertilized females and males appearing at specific times. In some species the workers' heads become specially enlarged and turn into soldier ants, and some species live in the nests of other species, with their larvae fed by the host's workers. Let's take a look below at the division of roles in an ant colony!

Queen

The queen is a reproductive female, also called the mother ant or ant king, and is the largest in body size in the colony, especially with a large abdomen, well-developed reproductive organs, short antennae, small thoracic legs, and either wings, shed wings, or no wings. Her main duties are laying eggs, reproducing offspring and overseeing this big family group.

Female ant

The female ant is a reproductive female after mating; after mating she sheds her wings and becomes a new queen, commonly known as a “princess” or “angel”.

Male ant

The male ant, also called the father ant, has wings, a small round head, underdeveloped mandibles, slender antennae, and well-developed reproductive organs and external genitalia. Its main function is to mate with the queen, and it is commonly known as a “prince” or “mosquito”, dying shortly after mating is completed.

Worker ant

The worker ant, also called the worker, has no wings and is an undeveloped female. It is generally the smallest individual in the colony, but the most numerous, and has no reproductive capacity. Its main duties are building and expanding the nest, gathering food, and feeding the larvae and the queen. In order to hibernate, ants must eat large amounts of food in autumn to store fat in their bodies, and they do not eat throughout the following winter. Because of this, the workers in an ant colony search for food almost every day to ensure that every member of the colony gets enough food to withstand the cold of winter. Some species are reproductive, such as the double-spined leafcutter ant and some ponerine ants.

Soldier ant

Soldier ant is the common name for the large workers of certain ant species. They are non-reproductive female ants with large heads and well-developed mandibles that can crush hard food, and when defending the colony they serve as weapons in battle.