Ants are social insects that live in colonies and have several different types or castes of individuals. Each caste has a different function or job in the colony.

Workers forage for food, construct the nest and care for the young and the reproductives.Reproductives include the original queen and the swarmers. The original queen’s job is to lay eggs. Swarmers are winged males and females that fly out to start new colonies and spread to new areas. These swarmers mate during the swarm, and the male dies soon after. The queen then locates a suitable nesting site, sheds her wings and begins to set up a colony.

Ants develop by complete metamorphosis, meaning the eggs hatch into larvae that must be cared for by the workers. The larvae pupate into adult workers or reproductives. After two or three years, the colony matures and begins to produce swarmers every year.