Life cycle and reproduction Iridomyrmex

meat eater ant nest during swarming

nuptial flight occurs throughout year in humid , warm climates. alates begin emerge nest , climb onto tall structures (such tree trunks, fence-posts, or long flora) begin fly , copulate. depending on species, queen either mates single male or multiple males. observations show meat ant males begin fly first, followed queens. groups of 20 40 queens approach top of nest , fly once warm enough, , proceed multiple times many days until climate changes or of queens have withdrawn nest. after mating, males die , queens proceed search suitable nest establish colony. finding location nest dangerous, birds , other ants prey on them; disease , starvation other causes of death in queens. while queens establish nest herself, nests can established when queens cooperate each other, adopted existing colony, or budding (also called satelliting or fractionating ), subset of colony including queens, workers , brood (eggs, larvae , pupae) leave main colony alternative nest site. 10% of queens cooperate queen during colony foundation.

fertilised meat-eater ant queen beginning dig new colony

once queen has excavated chamber, lay around 20 eggs develop larvae in less month. these eggs take 44 61 days develop , emerge adults. mature nests range in size, few hundred on 300,000 workers. colonies monogyne, meaning has single queen, colonies can have many four. oligogynous colonies exist, in multiple queens present, tolerated equally workers birthed different mothers , antagonism exists among queens. brood discrimination known based on recognition of kin, , queens after own brood , neglect other brood laid different queens. queens display intolerance each other when first generation of workers present, , queens separate each other once colony grows size.