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Eggs
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The eggs of ants are laid in groups. The eggs are tiny, white and transparent. They are often laid in the summer and these egg balls are made for transport by the worker ants. Transportation of the eggs is important in case predators threaten.
Larva
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Larva are also white and transparent but appear much longer and less full than eggs. They actually resemble maggots and repeatedly molt. Little hairs begin to grow and they turn a darker color as the pupae stage begins. Within the larva small beige sacs develop. Worker ants transport and protect the larva.
Pupae
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When larva have gone through skin molts, it is time, a month later, to begin looking like ants. They are white and waxy with antennas folded against their bodies. They spin a cocoon around themselves. These cocoons are often sewn against the wall of the nest or a nearby pebble.
Adult
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Another couple of weeks pass and adult ants emerge. The worker ants unravel them from their cocoons. The new ants appear soft and pale. New ants often turn black and the exoskeleton hardens within a few hours of their birth. They reside in the center of the colony and, as they mature, surface to join the worker ants.
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The Four Stages of an Ant's Life Cycle
Ants have some of the most intricate lives of any insect. Complex tunnels can stretch for meters below ground. Every ant has a job to do and every ant has a role in the colony. Worker ants watch over other ants as they progress through four stages of the ant's life cycle.