Carpenter Ant Queens
A carpenter ant colony consists of thousands of workers and only one carpenter ant queen. Like other ant species, the carpenter ant queens are responsible for laying eggs. Winged male swarmers exist to mate with the female carpenter ant swarmers. Shortly after mating, male carpenter ants die, having accomplished their only task.
Carpenter ant queens measure about one-inch in length and, depending on the species, are dark brown, yellow, red or black in color. After mating with the male carpenter ant, the queen sheds her wings and looks for a new nesting site for her young. The carpenter ant queen prefers moist and rotten wood to establish a new colony. After locating a nesting site, she seals herself inside the wood until the first brood of about thirty eggs hatch and develop into adults.
While raising the first batch of workers, the carpenter ant queen uses stored fat reserves and her wing muscles for nutrition. The queen uses nutrients from her own body to feed the first batch of brood until they become fully mature workers. The development of carpenter eggs to adult workers spans approximately 60 days. After the first generation of workers become capable of foraging for food, they take over all responsibilities for the colony. Adult workers forage for food, expand their nest by excavating wood and care for the queen, as well as her successive larvae.
Because the first generation of workers was fed from the carpenter queen ant's bodily fluids, they are typically smaller in size. Succeeding generations grow larger through a healthy foraged diet of honeydew, insects and other small invertebrates.
Carpenter ant queens lay eggs that become workers and future queens. Within three to five years, an unmated queen or a queen that runs out of sperm produces winged male ants. A carpenter ant queen can survive up to 15 years and lay over 60,000 fertilized eggs during her lifespan. If the queen ant dies, her workers can produce eggs, though all of their offspring will be male.
Carpenter Ant Identification: How to Identify a Carpenter Ant
What Does a Carpenter Ant Look Like?
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