Ant larvae represent the colony’s growing stage. Unlike adult workers, which are mobile and can forage, the legless and immobile larvae are confined to the brood chambers. Their survival hinges on the continuous care and feeding provided by their adult nestmates. Larvae transform incoming resources into new workers, soldiers, and future reproductive members.
The Unique Role of Worker Ants in Feeding
The delivery of nourishment is a specialized task performed by worker ants who remain close to the brood. Since adult ants cannot ingest solid food due to a filtering device in their mouths, all food must be processed into a liquid state. The primary mechanism for this nutritional exchange is trophallaxis, the regurgitation of liquid from a worker’s social stomach directly to the larva’s mouth.
During trophallaxis, the nurse ant feeds the larva a small volume of liquid food. The frequency of these feeding events regulates the total amount of liquid food the larva receives. This liquid diet contains non-digestive proteins and hormones, such as juvenile hormone, which influence the larva’s development and determine its eventual caste and size. Larvae can also secrete digestive enzymes onto solid food placed near them. This externally breaks down the material into a digestible slurry for the adults to consume and then feed back to the young.
Nutritional Requirements and General Food Sources
Ant larvae require a high-protein diet, which serves as the building block for their new bodies. In contrast, adult workers primarily require carbohydrates for energy to perform their daily tasks. Foragers gather protein-rich sources to meet the larval demand, bringing them back to the nest for processing.
The most common sources of this protein are scavenged insects, small invertebrates, and arthropod eggs. Once brought inside, this solid prey is chewed and broken down by the workers, then converted into a liquid form for larval consumption. The diet is supplemented with carbohydrates, which are necessary for the overall colony’s health and are often derived from sugary sources like plant nectar or honeydew secreted by sap-feeding insects. Protein is preferentially directed toward the growing larvae, while carbohydrates are reserved for the active workers.
Highly Specialized Diets Across Ant Species
While many ant species rely on a general diet of insects and plant exudates, several groups have evolved unique, specialized food sources for their larvae.
Leafcutter Ants
Leafcutter ant larvae do not consume the leaves brought into the nest. Workers use the chewed plant material as a substrate to cultivate a specific fungus. The larvae eat the nutrient-rich, swollen hyphal tips of this cultivated fungus, known as gongylidia.
Harvester Ants
Harvester ants, such as those in the genus Pogonomyrmex, feed their brood on a seed-based material. Workers collect seeds and process them by grinding them with their mandibles, creating a paste often referred to as “ant bread,” which is then fed to the larvae.
Army Ants
Army ants are nomadic and predatory. The larvae in these species are fed directly on the fresh prey captured during their massive raiding columns. Workers dismember the victims and place the protein-rich pieces near the larval mouthparts for consumption.