Life Cycle of an Ant by Maria Nunez Hernandez

Stage 1: Egg

mnunezh2 — 2024-04-15 16:43:45 UTC

An ant's life begins as an egg. Eggs are laid by queen ants. Ant eggs are small, soft, oval shaped-white, and transparent in color. Only a few make it to maturity since the eggs are also targeted by predators.

Stage 2: Larva

mnunezh2 — 2024-04-15 16:49:53 UTC

After 7-10 days, the ant larva will emerge. The ant larva has no eyes or legs. Larvae are heavy eaters and rely on adult ants to provide them with food.

Stage 3: Pupa

mnunezh2 — 2024-04-15 16:55:38 UTC

When the larva is large enough, it metamorphoses into a pupa. In the pupa stage, it spins a silky cocoon around its body for protection before finally emerging as an adult. This stage is referred to as the resting stage because they are mostly resting and their legs are tucked into their body.

Stage 4: Adult

mnunezh2 — 2024-04-15 17:53:37 UTC

After about 6-10 weeks, the pupa emerges from its cocoon and transitions into an adult. Adults could be male or female.

Inside The Ant Colony

mnunezh2 — 2024-04-15 18:12:32 UTC