Community
Chat Room
Register
GuestBook
Sign
Message Board

Information
Ant FAQ
Ant Terrariums
Build
Claustral Cell
Plaster
Wood
Links
Species

Journals
Camponotus
Pennsylvanicus
Consobrinus
Formica
Nitidiventris
Lasius
Flavus
Neoniger
Myrmicinae
Unidentified

Products
Ant Farms
Videos
T-Shirts

Site
E-Mail Us
News
Sponsor List
Be One

AUTHORS		FAQ NAVIGATION
Who e-mail Handle Web site Phillip Pi y Ant The Ant Farm Randy Rencsok y Mr. Ant AntCam Andre Schmidt y Jinei Myrmecology James Trager y Dr. Ant		Prev Top Next Chapter Chapter Page Page

4.1 How long do ants generally live?

It depends on the species. According to UMI's handbook, a worker 
ant can live one to two years from birth.

Many ant workers live less than a year as adults. Pharaoh ant
(Monomorium pharaonis) and ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum)
live only a few weeks. Queens of these species live less than a
full year. Colonies of these two types are almost constantly
producing new broods of queens, males, and workers to keep up 
with the mortality. By contrast, workers of many mound ants 
(Formica rufa and relatives) and cornfield ants (Lasius niger 
and relatives) live 1-3 or more years and their queens may live 
over ten years. These types produce queens and males only once a
season. The record appears to be a queen cornfield ant caught
just after mating, which went on to live 22 years in a lab
colony, producing fertile eggs until the last few months of her
life.

--Dr. Ant