Iridomyrmex purpureus. A young meat ant queen searches for a place to start a nest. Little Desert National Park, Victoria, Australia
A claustral foundress queen with her first eggs. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.
Young queens of the twig ant Tetraponera mocquerysi actively forage for food early in the life cycle of the colony. Once workers are produced, queens can stay safely in the nest. Kibale forest, Uganda