The carpenter ant’s life cycle consists of four main stages – egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. All ants start as an egg, develop into larvae, and eventually pupae. However, from the pupae stage, ants can become either female (workers), male, or queens.
All ant species follow this process, but they all vary in how many eggs they lay, how long it takes them to develop, and how many of each type of ant they have. In all species, queens are the rarest, males are second in rarity, and worker ants are the most common.
Other insects, such as bees and wasps, also go through a similar development process to carpenter ants. Here is more detail about how it works and each distinct evolutionary stage.
Egg Phase
A carpenter ant colony will have a single queen. The queen is impregnated by a male during the nuptial flight, after which the queen will return to her nest to lay eggs. Carpenter ant colonies grow extremely slowly as the queen only lays 15-20 eggs at a time and only lays eggs twice a year.
It can take 2-4 years for the queen to start her colony. Initially, the queen is responsible for all the duties in the colony and taking care of the eggs. Later, when the eggs hatch, the worker ants will take up many responsibilities.
Carpenter ant eggs are quite small at around 0.5 mm in length. They are oval in shape, white, and slightly translucent with a sticky texture. At this stage, the ants aim to provide a humid environment for the eggs so that the exterior surface stays moist and healthy.
Eggs take 7-14 days to hatch, at which stage the larvae are born. During the egg stage, if the egg stays unfertilized, it becomes a male (winged male). Fertilized eggs will become females who will be adult workers and can later also become queen ants.
Larvae Phase
After the egg phase, the larvae hatch from the egg. This is a worm-like form in which the ant has no eyes or legs and completely depends on the workers to feed it constantly.
During the larvae phase, the ant goes through a very rapid period of growth. They are constantly shedding skin (molting) and evolving into larger larvae.
This stage of development also determines future queens. Larvae hatched from fertilized eggs that receive plenty of nutrition and will develop into winged females and fly off to develop their own colonies and become queens.
The larvae phase typically lasts 6-12 days.
Pupae Phase
The pupae phase takes the most amount of time, usually lasting 6-10 weeks. At this stage, the larvae envelopes itself into a cocoon, where it will continue to receive nourishment and undergo the final development phase. During this developmental period, it will grow limbs, develop eyes and develop the exoskeleton common to all ants.
During the pupae phase, the ant starts to resemble a full-grown ant, but they are usually much lighter in color, sometimes even translucent. Even a black carpenter ant is white during this phase. The antennas and limbs are also not fully formed yet, so it needs a protective cocoon to prevent damage to the body.
Adult Phase
Even as adults, carpenter ants prefer to live in nests made within wooden structures. Adult ants often migrate to develop and live in satellite nests, while the queen remains in the parent nest with all the eggs, larvae, and pupae.
During the adult phase, the worker ants will carry out all the operations necessary for the survival of the nest – such as finding food, defending against predators, cleaning the nest, caring for the young, and all other tasks. Worker ants will eat wood to make way and expand the nest they live in.
Adult males will usually be winged ants, flying off to find a mate and reproduce. Their sole purpose is to mate, so they don’t spend much time in the colony. Winged females will fly off to find good locations for a new nest and continue expanding the species.
Males vs. Female Ants
Female ants can become queens, worker ants, or larger female workers that perform the role of soldiers. Males typically have wings and fly off to mate. However, once a male mates with a female, it will die within a few weeks. Queens and workers tend to live the longest. Queens and workers can both live up to 15 years.
In the case of carpenter ants, the queen will only mate once during the nuptial flight. During this flight, she will try and mate with as many males as possible and store the semen in her body. For the rest of her life, she will use this stored semen to produce eggs.
Ideally, you want to find and stop a carpenter ant infestation in the early stages when the colony is small and the queen is still young. This is challenging because it is hard to locate the nest when there are few ants present. Over time, the colony can grow exponentially, and large carpenter ant colonies can have as many as 5000 ants.
Moreover, as the colony matures, it also starts to develop satellite nests, so you must control carpenter ants before they start spreading rapidly. If you live in an area prone to carpenter ants, taking carpenter ant prevention measures will save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Lifespan
Carpenter ants hibernate if the conditions are favorable. They can do this during the winter and reemerge in early summer, or they can hibernate for several years and reemerge when the conditions are right.
Generally, queens live the longest as they are secure and get a constant food supply. Carpenter ant queens can live 10-15 years. Males die after mating, so they can live anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on when they find a mate.
In ideal conditions, worker ants can also live several years, but they usually die outside the nest in accidents.
Conclusion
Carpenter ants follow a very similar life cycle to other ants, the only difference being how long they spend in each phase. Since carpenter ants naturally live longer than other ants and many other insects, they spend a lot more time in development.
Call a pest control expert if you find winged ants or wood shavings around your house. It can be a sign of carpenter ants, and if left untreated, they can be very difficult to get rid of later on.
Recommended Reading: