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Do you ever stop and wonder how long ants live? Turns out, there’s a lot of variation in ant lifespan depending on the species. Some kinds of ants only live a few months, while others can live up to 10 years!
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at ant lifespan and find out what factors influence how long ants survive. So, how long do ants live anyway? Let’s find out!
How Long Do Ants Live?
Well, the lifespan of an ant depends on several factors, including the species, the environment, and whether or not it is a worker or queen. Most ants live for about one to six years, but some species can live for up to 20 years.
The average lifespan of a worker ant is usually much shorter than that of a queen ant. This is because worker ants do most of the foraging and are more exposed to predators. Queen ants, on the other hand, typically stay in the nest and are better protected.
Let’s take a closer look at the lifespan of some of the most common ant types.
Fire Ants
Fire ants are interesting creatures with complex social structures. The Queen fire ants can live for up to 7 years in captivity and up to 5 years in their natural habitat. The workers could survive in the wild for up to six months and more than a year in captivity.
Male fire ants live longer than female worker ants, but they would die within a few days of taking part in a nuptial flight. The life span of fire ants is determined by their role in the colony. The queen ant has the longest life span because she is responsible for reproduction.
The worker ants have a shorter life span because they do not reproduce. The male fire ants have the shortest life span because they only take part in the nuptial flight and do not play a role in the colony after that.
Carpenter Ants
In the animal kingdom, there are plenty of examples of males living shorter lives than females. But when it comes to carpenter ants, the discrepancy is particularly pronounced.
Queens can live up to 10 years, while female workers can expect to live for 7. But males? They don’t even make it to the one-year mark, dying soon after they’ve mated.
There are a few possible explanations for this strange anomaly. One theory is that females are simply better at storing fat and nutrients, giving them a longevity advantage. Another possibility is that the short life span of males is an evolutionary strategy to ensure that there’s always a new crop of males available to mate with queens.
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that carpenter ants defy conventional wisdom when it comes to the lifespan of males and females.
Black Garden Ants
Who says life is short? Certainly not black garden ants. While the males only get to enjoy a brief 8 to 9 weeks of maturity, the females (workers and soldiers) can stick around for 1 to 2 whole years.
But the real champion of longevity in this species is the queen, who due to her long life span can reach up to 30 years old. Now that’s what I call ant-ing! Ha. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Anyway, all joking aside, it’s clear that black garden ants have a wide range of life spans, depending on their role in the colony.
Pharaoh Ants
From egg to adult, it takes a pharaoh ant 5 to 7 weeks to develop. Alates – the winged males – require an additional week. Once fully developed, queen ants can live for up to a year and lay up to 35 eggs per day.
Worker pharaoh ants have a lifespan of about two months. The winged males die 3 to 5 weeks after mating with a female. All in all, it’s a pretty short life cycle. But in that time, these little creatures can cause a lot of havoc. infesting homes and businesses in search of food and shelter.
Pavement Ants
In the world of ants, it’s the worker bees that get all the attention. They’re the ones who toil away day and night, collecting food, caring for the young, and performing various other duties. And yet, for all their hard work, workers are typically short-lived creatures, with most only living for a few months.
Queens, on the other hand, can live for years and are often revered as the matriarchs of their colonies. But what about the lowly pavement ant? These humble insects are often overlooked, but they actually have quite interesting lifespans.
Worker pavement ants can live for up to five years, while males only live for a few months. As for queens, little is known about their lifespan, but it is very likely that they outlive worker ants.
Factors Determining an Ant’s Lifespan
Besides the species, and the colony caste, the ant’s lifespan is determined by a few more factors.
Food Quality and Abundance
It’s no secret that what we eat affects our health. The same is true for ants, who rely on a steady diet of food to fuel their busy lives. But what exactly does food do for ants? And how do the quality and abundance of food affect their lifespan?
For one, food provides ants with the energy they need to survive. Without a regular supply of food, ants would quickly become weak and eventually die. Additionally, food helps ants to maintain their strength and vigor. A well-fed ant is able to work harder and for longer periods of time than an ant that is starving.
Finally, food also plays a role in reproduction. A female ant needs a good supply of food in order to produce eggs, and both male and female ants need to be well-nourished in order to participate in the mating process.
So how does the quality and abundance of food affect an ant’s lifespan? Studies have shown that ants who have access to high-quality food live longer than those who do not.
Additionally, ants who have a steady supply of food are more likely to survive times of drought or other environmental stresses than ants who do not have a reliable source of food.
Location
Ants that live in tropical climates tend to have shorter lifespans than those that live in temperate or arctic regions. This is because the hotter weather speeds up the ant’s metabolism, causing them to burn through its energy reserves more quickly.
As a result, ants in tropical climates typically only live for around six months, while ants in cooler areas can live for up to two years.
Access To Protective Shelter
Even being known for their endurance, there is one factor that can have a significant impact on an ant’s lifespan: access to shelter.
Ants that live in areas with access to protective shelter (such as tarantulas, trees, and rocks) tend to have a much longer lifespan than those that do not. This is due to the fact that shelter provides ants with a safe place to hide from predators and the elements.
In addition, shelter can also help ants to regulate their body temperature, which is essential for survival. As a result, it is clear that access to shelter is an important factor in determining an ant’s lifespan.
Conclusion
Ants are some of the longest-living insects on Earth. While their lifespan varies depending on the species, most ants live for around a year. Some ant colonies have been known to survive for over 20 years, however!
Keep this in mind, especially when dealing with an ant infestation in your house or garden.
