swarming, slavery and war
Swarming
Queens and males are hatched in the summer. All have wings and fly out at the same time from the hill. The males mate with a queen. Thereafter they die.
New hill
The recently mated queen falls to the ground, where worker-ants bite off her wings. Then she establishes a new anthill. But the queen may also be carried back to the old or a neighbouring hill.
Slavery...
Sometimes the queen intrudes on a hill of the slave ant. The slave ant´s queens are killed. The intruder lays its eggs, which are cared for by the slave ants. With time, the slave ants die away.
Only wood ants remain in the hill!
...and war!
Violent battles can be fought with other species of ants, but also with wood ants which belong to another hill. Friend or foe are recognized by smell. Weapons are jaws and formic acid.
