Photo by Drees. They have square heads and no spines on the body. There are 22 species of harvester ants in the United States with most occurring in the west. Worker harvester ants are often sold as inhabitants of ant farms. Winged males and females swarm, pair and mate.
Males soon die and females seek a suitable nesting site.
After dropping her wings, the queen ant digs a burrow and produces a few eggs. Larvae are white and legless, shaped like a crookneck squash with a small distinct head. Pupation occurs within a cocoon. Worker ants produced by the queen ant begin caring for other developing ants, enlarge the nest and forage for food. Mouthparts are for chewing.