Queen Ant Digs
Living Beings • 14m
A recently-mated ant queen digs a tunnel underground in a vigorous attempt to start a new colony. Only 2% of ant queens successfully found new colonies. The initial challenge is to select a suitable location for the new colony. Next, a newly-mated queen ant must dig down into the ground, where she will lay her first batch of eggs. Once underground, she may never see daylight again. The ant queen will devote the rest of her life to producing offspring and regulating aspects of the colony through selective reproduction. This program was made in collaboration with the University of California Los Angeles, Department of Entomology.
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