The average colony can produce about 4,500 reproductives per year. On a warm day, usually one or two days following a rain, the workers open holes in the nest through which the reproductives exit for a mating flight. Mating takes place 300' to 800' in the air. They seal themselves off in this founding nest to lay eggs and to rear their first brood of workers. During this period they do not feed, instead utilizing reserves stored in their bodies.
Fire ants open the nest, begin to forage for food, rear more workers, and care for the queens.
Multiple fire ant queen colonies are fairly common. A single colony may have 10 to 100 or more queens, each reproducing. Multiple queen colonies can mean up to 10 times more mounds per acre. The fire ant queens generally mate several times and may live for up to 6 - 7 years. Workers are less long-lived and usually will not survive an entire season.