Colonies may be quite large, accommodating as many as 100,000 to 600,000 adult individuals.
Each colony consists of a single queen, a brood of developing young, and many adult workers.
The adult workers make up the majority of the population.
There are four distinct physical worker castes.
The queen usually copulates with 10–20 males, which leads to a colony with a large number of worker patrilines, which are full-sibling families with the same father and mother.
When a colony's size reaches a maximum, it can result in a split in the colony, with the old queen heading one resultant swarm and a daughter heading the other.
Colonies may be quite large, accommodating as many as 100,000 to 600,000 adult individuals. Each colony consists of a single queen, a brood of developing young, and many adult workers. The adult workers make up the majority of the population. There are four distinct physical worker castes. The queen usually copulates with 10–20 males, which leads to a colony with a large number of worker patrilines, which are full-sibling families with the same father and mother. When a colony's size reaches a maximum, it can result in a split in the colony, with the old queen heading one resultant swarm and a daughter heading the other.
Eciton burchellii