How long does an ant live?

The lifespan of an ant depends on its role in the colony. Males live for a few weeks, while the queen survives for decades under the right conditions. Most worker ants survive a few months, as stated by ASU School of Life Sciences.

In the ant colony, each type of ant has a specific duty. The single role of the male ant is to mate with the queen. Workers are female ants that received less food during the larva stage. While they do not reproduce, they provide the work necessary to keep the colony alive. Queen ants are larger than the female workers and responsible for laying the eggs in the colony.