Mating frenzies, sperm hoards, and brood raids: The life of a fire ant queen - Walter R. Tschinkel

A video on YouTube. In Explainers, a Krater category.

Summary by Krater

An animated explainer detailing the life cycle, mating flights, and colony-founding strategies of fire ants.

From the video

Answers: How do fire ants reproduce and found new colonies?

After mating, queen ants land, break off their wings, dig a nest, and lay eggs to start a new colony.
During the founding period, queens rely on unfertilized eggs for nourishment, losing half their body weight.
Colonies experience brood raiding where neighboring workers steal offspring from other queens.
When a queen's supply of stored sperm runs out after about 8 years, the colony dwindles and is taken over by a neighboring colony.

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