Giddy up! We’ve just published a wonderfully lenghty article about the lifecycle of an ant colony. This is the real deal, explaining the process from a virgin queen’s nuptial flights to her death, surrounded by thousands of children.
Even though ants seem abundant in nature, it is not an easy task founding a colony. The competition is overwhelming – by every queen that succeeds lies hundreds or thousands dead, failing to do the same. They fall victims to predators, other ants, heat, drowning or other things dangerous to an ant. The queen that does find a place to settle, without competition nor predators, can dig her new chamber in the hopes of a future as ruling queen.
Have a look, and let us know what you think!