W świecie owadów czas płynie w zupełnie innym tempie. Niektóre stworzenia pojawiają się na krótko, podczas gdy inne budują swoje dziedzictwo przez dziesięciolecia. Zanurzmy się w fascynujące życie owadów, badając, jak długo żyją, czy śpią i jakie są ich strategie przetrwania.

The lifespan of insects is as varied as their shapes, sizes, and habitats. For instance, the mayfly is famous for its ephemeral existence, with some species living for less than 24 hours as adults. During this brief window, their sole purpose is reproduction—ensuring the next generation before their time runs out. In stark contrast, ant queens, such as those from certain leafcutter ant species, can live for decades, overseeing their colonies.

Worker ants, however, live comparatively shorter lives, typically ranging from a few weeks to several months, depending on the species and environmental factors. Interestingly, research has shown that under certain conditions, worker ants can live much longer—up to 3 years in some cases.

For example, studies conducted on the black garden ant also called L. niger (here a nice video about Lasius niger) revealed that workers in controlled environments, such as labs or ant house ant farms, lived significantly longer than those exposed to natural threats and predators in the wild.

This extended lifespan may be attributed to a combination of factors, including access to ample food resources, reduced environmental stress, and protection from predation. Such longevity demonstrates the incredible adaptability of ants and reflects the diversity of strategies they employ to ensure the survival of their colonies.

The survival strategies of insects are equally fascinating. For individual insects, such as mayflies or butterflies, the focus is on fast multiplication. These species often produce numerous offspring in a short time, ensuring that at least some survive to carry on their genetic lineage.

 

The sheer number of offspring produced by these insects highlights their reliance on quantity over individual longevity, a strategy that helps them adapt to dynamic and often hostile environments.

Another well-known example of this strategy is mosquitoes. Most adult mosquitoes live only a few weeks, though their short lives are incredibly efficient. Female mosquitoes lay hundreds of eggs at a time, often in stagnant water, and within a few days, these eggs hatch into larvae. This rapid reproductive cycle allows mosquitoes to maintain large populations even in unfavorable conditions, ensuring their survival despite their short lifespans.

Similarly, insects like aphids also embody this “fast multiplication” strategy. Aphids are capable of giving birth to live offspring without mating (a process called parthenogenesis), and generations can overlap rapidly. In optimal conditions, a single aphid can produce up to 80 offspring within a week, creating exponential population growth in no time. However, much like mosquitoes, aphids have relatively short lifespans, often living only a few days to weeks.

On the other hand, social insects, like ants, bees, and termites, take a very different approach. Their strategy revolves around the investment in a single nest or a colony of several nests. Instead of prioritizing fast reproduction, they build complex communities where each member has a role. Workers care for the young and forage, soldiers defend the nest, and queens focus exclusively on reproduction and therefore represent the heart of the society. This division of labor ensures the long-term success of the colony, even if individual members have relatively short lifespans. Since the queen is the central figure in their organization, she enjoys an extended lifespan, ranging from several years to two decades.

The concept of division of labor in social insects has been extensively studied. For instance, a study from 2015 explores how task allocation in social insect colonies occurs through distributed processes rather than persistent individual specialization. It highlights the resilience and adaptability of these systems, which are crucial for the survival and efficiency of the colony. Another study delves into the behavioral organization of colonies, emphasizing the impact of genetic, morphological, and demographic composition on labor division.