The uterus of the ant: features of the lifestyle and duties of the queen

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The ant family appears after the fertilized queen finds a depression in the ground, lays the first eggs, takes care of them herself, and workers emerge from them. For the rest of their lives, the worker ants take care of the uterus, they feed it, raise the larvae, and take care of the entire anthill.

Description and role of the uterus

An ant queen, or queen, is a female that lays eggs, and worker ants emerge from them. Usually there is one female in an ant family, but some species can have several queens at the same time.

Features

The uterus of African army ants during the period of maturation of eggs can increase in length up to 5 cm. In some species of ants, at a certain time, the uterus, along with worker ants, can leave its colony and create a new colony. However, mostly they are deep in the anthill and run away at the first sign of danger.

What if the mother dies

Although usually the breeding female ant is in the safest place, she may die. Then the colony becomes orphaned. Often, however, in a colony, the female takes over this role and begins to lay offspring again.

If the uterus dies during the construction of the colony, then the family may die.

Working individuals and males do not live long, no more than 2 months. But if she managed to lay eggs, then young individuals will appear from them, among which there will be a female, which will take up free space.

ANT FARM - QUEEN ANT FORMICA POLYCTENA, moving into the incubator

Where to find a queen to get rid of ants

To remove a colony of pests in a house or on a plot, you need to kill the queen, which gives offspring. It is difficult to find it, because there is a clear system in the anthill, and the main one is hidden deep inside. Some create a network of nests, and the queen may be in one of them.

  1. There is only one way to destroy the uterus - to poison it. However, the workers carry her food and chew it, so you have to repeat the method several times.
  2. You can influence the colony with temperature so that the ants feel threatened and run away, taking the most valuable with them.

Conclusion

The life of an ant family is impossible without a uterus. The queen lays eggs and worker ants appear from them, also females, but they cannot lay eggs, but they are engaged in collecting food, protecting the anthill, and raising the younger generation.

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