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How to Tell if an Ant Is Male or Female

More than 12,000 ant species exist throughout the world. The total combined weight of all ants rivals that of humans, according to Arizona State University. Most of the ants you see are female worker ants, because males die after mating and queen ants usually stay in the nest. However, you may encounter a queen ant or male ant during mating season. If you're curious about what type of ant you've found, follow a few quick steps to make a good guess.

Instructions

- 1
  Check whether the ant has wings. If it does not have wings, it is a female worker ant. Worker ants perform a variety tasks for the colony, such as collecting food, caring for the young, building the nest and defending the nest. All worker ants are female.
- 2
  Examine the ant's antennae. If the ant has wings and straight antennae, it is a male ant. If it has wings and jointed antennae, it is a female queen ant.
- 3
  Compare the ant's size to other nearby ants. Female worker ants tend to be the smallest ants. Male ants are slightly larger than female ants, and queen ants are the largest of all. Male ants also have bigger eyes and smaller heads than queen ants.

Insects & Science