Minor worker ants

Minor worker ants, or simply ‘workers’, are the most common ant found in any colony.

These sterile female ants are the smallest ant, but they do the most work, hence their name. Whilst it is often thought that they never sleep, these ants take rest in their nest to gain their energy back.

Some look after the queen and brood, some forage for food from around the nest, some might feed other workers in the colony, whilst others maintain and expand the nest.

Workers can live between a few months and up to five years.

In the absence or death of a queen ant, workers ants can lay a fertilized egg which will become a male winged drone ant. This is a last ditch effort to continue the colonies genetics.