Ants Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera , which are social insects.
All ants live in groups called colonies and depend on each other for the survival of the group.
The reproductive period is called swarming since the male and female reproductives all leave the nest at the same time to fly off and find a mate from another colony. After mating, the male dies, and the newly inseminated female or queen selects a nest site. Once a suitable site has been located, the new queen will break off her wings, excavate the site to her satisfaction, and begin laying eggs. The queen raises this first brood through the larval stage, but once they pupate and emerge as adults, these workers take over the functions of foraging for food, further nest excavation, and brood rearing. The queen's only responsibility from this point on is to lay eggs.