Carpenter Ant Larvae
Carpenter ants go through complete metamorphosis, passing through the egg, larval, pupal and adult stages.
When male and female winged reproductives leave a colony, they mate. Soon after mating, females shed their wings and males die. Each wingless female will now look for moist locations where she will lay her first batch of eggs and establish a new colony.
It takes an individual ant six to 12 weeks to develop from egg to adult, and it takes three to six years to develop an active and stable colony. This development timeline depends on a steady warm temperature. Colder weather can lengthen the process up to 10 months.
Carpenter ant larvae are small, white, legless and grub-like young. During this stage, adult workers forage for food for the carpenter ant larvae.
Carpenter ant larvae process the solid food given to them by workers and regurgitate it so that other ants can consume the liquid. Even at an early stage in their lives, carpenter ant larvae are necessary for their colonies to develop and survive. As long as a colony houses a queen, there will always be larvae developing within it.