<P> A queen ant (formally known as a gyne) is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony . Some female ants, such as Cataglyphis cursor, do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning, and all of those offspring will be female . Others, like those in the genus Crematogaster, undergo mating in a nuptial flight . Ant offspring develop from larvae specially fed in order to become sexually mature among most species . Depending on the species, there can be either a single mother queen, or potentially, hundreds of fertile queens in some species . Queen ants have one of the longest life - spans of any known insect--up to 30 years . A queen of Lasius niger was held in captivity by German entomologist Hermann Appel for 283⁄4 years; also a Pogonomyrmex owyheei has a maximum estimated longevity of 30 years in the field . </P> <P> Ants go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa (sometimes cocoon, called metamorphosis depending on the species) and adult . The larvae have no legs but are capable of some minor movement, such as bending their head toward a food source when fed . During this stage, the level of care and nourishment the larvae receive will determine their eventual adult form . When resources are low, all larvae will develop into female worker ants; however, if the parent of a sexually reproducing colony has a plentiful supply of food, some of the larvae will receive better nourishment than others, and develop into winged, sexually mature female ants destined to leave the colony . At this stage, the winged female ants are sometimes known as "princess ants". </P> <P> When conditions are hot and humid after rain and there is minimal wind, masses of winged sexually reproducing ants or "flying ants" will leave their parent nest and take flight . The mating flights occur simultaneously in all ant nests of the particular species . The female "queen" ants will fly a long distance, during which they will mate with at least one winged male from another nest . He transfers sperm to the seminal receptacle of the queen and then dies . Once mated, the "queen" will attempt to find a suitable area to start a colony and, once found will detach her wings . </P> <P> The term "queen" is not particularly apt, as the queen ant has very little control over the colony as a whole . She has no known authority or decision - making control; instead her sole function is to reproduce . Therefore, the queen is best understood as the reproductive element of a colony rather than a leader . Once a colony is established, the worker ants meet the queen's needs such as giving her food and disposing of her waste . Because ant social structure is very complex and individual ants are relatively simple, an ant colony can be thought of as a single organism, and the individual ants as cells or limbs of the organism, as the individuals can rarely survive on their own . </P>

How long does it take for ants to reproduce