How long do ants live?

The time has come to talk about ants, these little, most time unnoticeable insects that live pretty much everywhere, but we don’t tend to pay much attention to, but today we will.

However, we’re going to center on their lifespan, how long can they live, and the difference in their life expectancy amongst the types of ants currently in the world.

Index

Ants lifespan

Ants lifespan

Let us start off by saying that ants (like most insects) have a very short lifespan. Contrary to what most people might think, ants don’t get to live for too long, expect for one specific species.

Ants have a life expectancy from 4 to 12 months, depending on the type of ant we’re talking about, since there’s a particular species that get to live up to 15 years or even more.

But don’t get fooled, the regular ant we see around our houses and gardens don’t really get to live for too long. These ants have a very short life expectancy, and are lucky to make it to the one year mark.

How long do ants live in the wild?

Ants can live anywhere from 6 to 12 months in the wild, depending on the type of ants; of course, this is their standard life time.

Now, most ants actually die really early before they can even reach the 6 months mark due to the fact they are constantly living around their predators (bigger insects, some amphibians, some bears, humans, etc.).

How long do ants live in captivity?

As you might have been able to tell this far, ants don’t tend to live long. Depending on the type, if they’re kept in captivity, they might get to complete their full life cycle, living up to a full year without any problem at all.

How long do ants live?

It is important to mention that ants are actually kept in captivity is more common that what we think, and they’re usually kept in big groups in an ant habitat.

Life expectancy of ants according to the colony caste

Male ants

A few weeks.

Queen ants

20-30 years.

Worker ants

From 1 up to 3 years.