What is a colony in the context of ants?

What is a colony in the context of ants?

• A. A solitary ant with no colony.
• B. A colony consisting solely of workers.
• C. A colony consisting of a queen, workers, and soldiers.
• D. A colony with multiple queens and no workers.

Answer: (C)

Ant colonies are organized social groups with a clear division of labor. The queen provides reproduction by laying eggs, workers handle foraging, brood care, and nest maintenance, and in many species, soldiers defend the colony. This combination—queen plus workers and often soldiers—best describes how an ant colony operates, which is why it’s the correct choice. Solitary ants don’t form colonies. A colony of only workers would eventually fail to reproduce without a queen. A colony with multiple queens and no workers lacks the labor force to gather food, care for brood, or defend the nest. While some colonies can have more than one queen, workers are still essential for the colony to function.

Ant colonies are organized social groups with a clear division of labor. The queen provides reproduction by laying eggs, workers handle foraging, brood care, and nest maintenance, and in many species, soldiers defend the colony. This combination—queen plus workers and often soldiers—best describes how an ant colony operates, which is why it’s the correct choice.

Solitary ants don’t form colonies. A colony of only workers would eventually fail to reproduce without a queen. A colony with multiple queens and no workers lacks the labor force to gather food, care for brood, or defend the nest. While some colonies can have more than one queen, workers are still essential for the colony to function.