In an ant’s life cycle, you will find a dramatic change in its body form that passes through a sequence of 4 stages – egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. So, if you want to identify these 4 stages from your ant’s colony, you should know – what do ant eggs look like?
Quick answer: ant eggs are tiny, soft, and oval-elongated structures that may find one side of the colony or chamber. The winged female (known as the ant queen) digs the hole in the colony and lay eggs.
Here, I will provide the identification points for ant eggs so that you may easily identify them. Again, I will also provide the basic information on the ant eggs and differentiate them from the other 3 stages of life with diagrams.
You will find the factors that influence the development of eggs in an ant here in this article. So, if you want to know the interesting facts about ant eggs and identify them from other insects’ eggs, let’s continue this article till the end.
What do ant eggs look like?
The individual ant’s life begins with its egg. If you are an ant keeper or entomology student, you might have a good piece of knowledge on the eggs, larvae, and pupa of ants.
You need to identify the ant eggs from other insects’ eggs by their external appearance. Again, you might identify the ant eggs from larvae and pupa.
Thus why you need to know – what do ant eggs look like. Let’s see the ant eggs from the below-mentioned diagram.
The diagram shows the tiny, soft, and oval–elongated ant eggs. These ants’ eggs are whitish and possess a peripheral zone of lens material.
Again, if you see the ant eggs under the light microscope, you may find an extensive, almost homogenous material at the center. The center of the egg ants contains a large amount of calcium and phosphorous.
I will show you the structure of the ant eggs later in this article. But first let’s see the essential facts of ant eggs from table 1 –
| What do ant eggs look like? | Tiny, soft, whitish, sticky, oval-like shape |
| The shape of ant eggs | Oval elongated |
| Size of ant eggs | 0.3 – 0.5 millimeter |
| The appearance of ant eggs | Whitish, transparent, and shiny |
| Ant eggs remain as | In cluster form (15 – 25 eggs) |
| Number of egg laid by ants per day | 700 – 1000 eggs/ day |
| How many eggs can an ant lay | 250k – 400k eggs / ant |
| Hatching time of ant eggs | 8 – 15 days |
| Suitable temperature for ant egg | 70oF |
| Who eats ant eggs? | Colony worker ants |
Where do ants lay eggs?
Female ants (ant queens) love to lay eggs on one side of the nest or colony. They love to dig the soil and make a special chamber in the nest and lay eggs. This is a very common place (nest chamber) for an individual ant to lay their eggs.
But, in some cases, female ants lay the egg on a tree, shrubs, leaves, and other plants. Sometimes, they lay eggs on the wooden beams of buildings, bathrooms, and houses.
Exceptionally, you may find other places where the ant can lay their eggs (rarely occur). So, the best places for ants to lay their eggs are –
- Special chamber of their nest,
- A wooden beam of buildings, bathroom, houses, and
- Leaves on a tree, shrubs,
If you observe any ant nest in the soil, you will find different channels and chambers. These chambers of the ant nest vary significantly in size and dimension.
Ant uses these chambers for different purposes; primarily, the queen ant uses the chamber for laying eggs. Some chambers are used for nurseries for eggs, larvae, and pupa.
You may find some chambers of the ant nest that have no eggs; they use for resting and gathering for the worker ants. There are some chambers in the ant nest where ants love to keep their food.
So, the ants have a specific habit of laying their eggs in the special chamber or places of the nest or other places. But, when they lay eggs on the leave of a tree, it is tough to manage different extraordinary chambers.
Do ants lay eggs in food?
Yes, ants lay eggs in the food. But, this is not their natural habit of laying eggs in the food.
Sometimes, some species of ant nest near food and water sources. So they can lay their egg on the food.
Thus why do you also say ants can lay their eggs anywhere on the earth? But do they lay eggs on their storage food in the nest?
Typically, they don’t lay eggs in the food storage chamber of their nest. They don’t lay eggs in the resting and gathering chambers of the ant nest.
Ant eggs in the house
Mainly in the rainy season and winter, you may find ant eggs in your house. They probably love to hide and nest at the corner of your house or in the hole in your building.
Even you may suddenly see a good number of ant eggs in your bathroom.
What do ant eggs look like on plants?
Some species of ants (like black carpenter ants) love to live on the leaves of plants and lay eggs. They also love to stay on vegetables because of the food source.
So, for these ants’ species, you may find their eggs on the leaves of plants or vegetables. What do ant eggs look like on this plant? Same as the eggs that you find in the ant’s nest (chamber).
Yes, the shape and size of the ant eggs are similar to the leaves of the plant that you have already seen in the nest chamber. But, they may attach to the plant’s leaves as these ant eggs possess a sticky nature.
Sometimes, you may find aphid eggs in the ant nest on the leaves. But why do they take these aphid eggs? They (ants) take these aphid eggs to protect them from extreme weather.
In most cases, you may find numerous ant eggs on the leaves of your garden. You will find mostly the black and carpenter ants on the leaves of plants in your garden.
Ant eggs structure
So, ants are oviparous and lay an egg in various situations. The number of laid eggs also may vary in different species of ants.
An average of 800 – 1200 eggs can be laid by a female ant daily. You will find remarkable similarities in the structure of the ant eggs with the honey bee eggs.
In a life cycle of an ant, it may lay 250k – 400k eggs. The honey bee can lay 900k eggs (average) in its life.
How does an ant lay eggs? – oviposition
The exact process of oviposition has rarely been observed in ants. There are few guides on ant oviposition in the entomology book.
Before laying eggs, the female queen ant (bear wings) emerges from the ant’s colony and performs these activities –
- Emerge from the ant’s colony,
- Flying through the air,
- Meet and mate with male ants,
- Land on earth and break off her wings with the legs,
- Digs a hole in the earth with the help of their mouthpart, and
- Inside the hole, now, the female queen ant lays eggs.
It may see the eggs pass out from the oviduct of the female ant and become arranged in the ootheca. You may see 10 -15 eggs attached if you notice the ant’s nest.
The external structure of ant egg
Now, let’s see the structure of the ant eggs. But, it is very hard to observe the facts of the ant eggs grossly; thus, you need to see them under a light microscope.
As the shape of ant eggs is oval, the microscopic figure shows 2 ends – anterior and posterior. It is believed that the anterior part of the ant eggs is somewhat convex. In comparison, the posterior end of ant eggs possesses a small concave area.
On the outer slide of the ant eggs, you will find a transparent membrane. A regular ant egg shows the following –
- An inner or vitelline membrane (oolemma), and
- The outer chorion,
An ant egg’s inner membrane is produced by the hardening of the outer layer. Again, the outer layer of the ant egg is produced by the secretion of the ovarian follicle.
In the later stage, these structures again subdivide into 2 layers –
- An inner endochorion, and
- The outer exochorion,
The yolk membrane of an ant egg is usually completely homogenous and thin. In contrast, the shell of the egg is usually covered by a network of ridges that enclose a polygonal area.
You may find an external marking on the eggshell of an ant. This is due to the impression of the cellular structure of the epithelium of the ovarian follicle.
Micropyle in ant egg
The micropyle is an opening on the ant egg. This is the structure where you will find a group of canals at the anterior end of the egg.
This canal is for the entrance of the spermatozoa during the process of fertilization of an ovum. You will find the best micropyle example on the eggs of roaches.
They (roaches) have a simple and well-organized micropyle in their eggs. You will find the gelatinous cap on these micropyle areas of the ants or other insects’ eggs.
This gelatinous cap may form the covering membrane that extends over the large part of the egg. Again, you may find other different functions of the micropyle of the ants or other insects’ egg.
During the oviposition, the ant or other insect can easily push their eggs without any injuries. Now, let’s see the internal structure of the ants’ egg.
The internal structure of ant eggs
An outer layer of protoplasm surrounds the yolk of the ant egg (internal content). This protected layer of ant egg is also known as the formative yolk, which separates from the inner parts.
This yolk part of the ant egg contains nutritive elements. You will also find a large amount of calcium and phosphorous in the structure of the ant egg.
You will see the differences if you compare the aphid eggs with the ant egg. In the aphid eggs, you will find poor yolk content compared to the ants.
An ant’s egg becomes mature, fertilizes, and divides to form the blastoderm. The whole process of reproduction of ants goes through a very complex cycle.
If you are interested to know the entire reproduction system of an ant or another insect, you may find the guide here –
- How does an insect reproduce?
Ant eggs hatching
If you have an existing ant farm, sometimes you may find a blackish content inside the oval elongated ant egg. After a few days, these ant eggs hatch and form worm-shaped larvae.
But when the ant eggs become hatch? Well, on average, after 10 – 15 days of egg laying by the ants, they will hatch. You may see variations in the hatching of ants’ eggs in different species.
What do ant larvae look like compared to the eggs? The larvae of the ant look like a worm-like structure. You will know a little about the larvae of ants in the next section of this article.
Does temperature have an effect on the development of the ant or its eggs? Yes, the temperature is a dominant factor in the development of the ant and its eggs.
The perfect temperature for developing an ant egg is 70 – 75 o Fahrenheit. So, if there is a sudden change in the environment of the ant nest, then the development process of ant eggs may be delayed.
Different experiment shows the following results of the temperature (when decreasing) on the ants’ egg development –
- Decreasing temperature shows the delayed deposition of ant eggs,
- Increase the length of the larval period of ant eggs,
- Need more time to exit the larvae from the cocoon, and
- Require more time to develop the young ants,
Again, the high temperature also can affect the older ants on their activity. Normally, the higher temperature influences the older ant to work more.
So, if you are keeping ants as a pet, then you might be aware of keeping a suitable temperature on your farm.
Small ant eggs
Small black ants, small fire ants, and some other smaller types of ants also possess similar eggs. The external and internal appearances of these small ant eggs are also similar to the larger or medium-sized ant eggs.
The small ant eggs also show the oval–elongated structure. They are also whitish and shiny and possess sticky materials.
The size of the small ant eggs is also similar to the larger ants (about 0.5 millimeters). A small ant can lay 100k – 350k eggs in her life cycle.
What do ant larvae look like?
The ant larvae are in the second stage of their life cycle. These larvae of the ants are somewhat elongated structures.
Some entomologists stated that the larvae of the ant look like small worms. So, you may call them a worm-like structure that has no eyes or legs.
The larvae of the ant depend on the older ants for their feeding. Thus, the older ant needs more feed supply to feed their larvae.
The worker ants supply these feeds. When feed is scarce for the queen ants, they may eat their eggs or larvae.
If the larvae of an ant get proper feed, they will grow rapidly and shed their skin.
Who eats ant eggs?
Some ant species in the world can eat their eggs or larvae. Let’s see some of the essential ant species that eat their eggs and larvae –
- Pygmy egg–eating ants,
- Southern pygmy egg-eating ants,
- Chickasaw egg-eating ants,
- Pocket gopher egg-eating ants, and
- Angulate petiole egg-eating ants,
You may find other different ant eggs eating ants in the world.
What does an ant pupa look like?
The larvae of an ant grow more and form the pupa. This is the third stage of an ant’s life, where rest and reorganization occurs.
Pupas look like mostly older ants, but the legs and antennae of these pupas are folded against their bodies.
First, the pupa of an ant becomes whitish, but it turns blackish later. You may see 2 states in the pupa of an ant –
- Pupa covered with outer protection, and
- The pupa of an ant without covering,
Most species of ants have a cocoon that acts as the covering for the pupa. In contrast, some ant species have no cocoon around the pupa.
Frequently asked questions on ant eggs
This section will provide a concise answer to the commonly asked questions on ant eggs by the learner or ant lover. But, if you want to know the details of these questions, you should find the answer from another specific article on insect pets.
Let’s see the frequently asked questions on ant eggs with their concise answer –
What do carpenter ant eggs look like?
The carpenter’s ant eggs look like the oval – elongated tiny structure, which is white and shiny. They may remain in a cluster as each egg of an ant possesses sticky materials.
What do red ant eggs look like?
The red ant eggs look like oval and elongated and have similar structures to an ideal ant. They (red ant eggs) are not fully white but possess other similar features like an ideal ant’s eggs.
What do tiny ant eggs look like?
The tiny ant eggs also look like the elongated oval structure. They (tiny ant eggs) are whitish, small, sticky, and shiny in nature. They also possess a transparent membrane on the outer aspect of the eggs.
How long does it take ant eggs to hatch?
The ant eggs take a few days (average 10 – 15 days) to hatch. But, the hatching period of the ant eggs may vary within species and other environmental factors.
The temperature is the main predominant factor that can adversely affect the development of the ant eggs.
Can we see the egg of an ant?
Yes, we can easily see the ant eggs on the ant’s nest, the leaves of the tree, and holes in the buildings.
Conclusion
So, I hope you got the perfect answer to your question – what do ant eggs look like? A typical ant egg is white, shiny, and sticky.
Again, the shape of the ant egg is primarily oval and elongated. The size is about 0.5 millimeters, but it may vary with species. With the help of the external appearance of ant eggs, you may easily differentiate them from aphid eggs.
