Ant Colony Structure and Behavior

Forming New Colonies

Ants can form new colonies in two ways—mating flights or budding:

Mating Flights - In some species, mating flights occur when winged male and female reproductive forms (alates) fly out of the nest and mate. These ants are sometimes referred to as swarmers and can be a nuisance depending on the size and location of the "swarm." After mating, the newly fertilized queen removes her wings, finds a suitable nest site and starts a new colony. Only mature colonies produce swarmers, which usually occurs two or more years after establishment of the colony. The same types of ants will usually swarm at the same time each year.

Budding - In this process, fertilized queens leave the parent nest usually with a few workers and often some brood to start a new nest. Ant species that use "budding" have colonies with multiple queens. Some species form new colonies both by mating flights and budding while others by budding alone. In the latter, mating between male and female reproductive ants occurs within or near the nest.