An ant colony starts in general with a queen (alate reproductive female) that has just landed from the nuptial flight in which she has been inseminated by one or more males, has lost her wings and has found a protected place or has excavated a chamber.
In this protected place (the nest, that does not necessarily have to be constructed, but can be a natural chamber under a rock, for instance) the queen starts to lay eggs, from which after a certain period, emerge the larvae. The queen may search for food outside the nest or regurgitate her liquefied wing musculature (she will never fly again). In this initial period the queen is respondible for all colony tasks, not only feeding the larvae and herself, but also for the maintenance of the nest and for colony defense. The larval phase is when the ants grow up, so they have to be constantly fed. The queen may search for food outside the nest or regurgitate her liquefied musculature related to the wings, as she will never fly again. In this initial period the queen is responsible for all colony tasks, not only feeding the larvae and herself, but also the maintenance of the nest and colony defense. The larval phase is when the ants grow, so they have to be constantly fed.
After the eclosion of the first workers the queen does not perform most behaviors necessary to nest maintenance and colony development anylonger, and restricts herself only to egg laying and autogrooming, while the workers do all other tasks, including the feeding of the queen. The colony passes through a growing phase, not only in population but also in nest size and the area over which the workers forage for food.
The colony passes through a growing phase, not only in population but also in nest size and the area over which the workers forage for food. This phase may take some years and some species live in colonies with up to millions of individuals living together at a certain time.
After the colony growing period, which varies among species, but in general some years, the colony produces its first generation of sexuals. In general the sexuals produced by colonies of a given region will fly on the same day and at the same time, enhancing their chance to meet in the nuptial flight and to close the cycle.
With the death of the colony queen, in general the colony is able to survive just a few months, as queens are seldom replaced in ants and the workers are not able to reproduce.
