Continued
After 9 years the colony contains about 1000 workers and still a single queen who has laid all the eggs.
Mature colonies begin to produce new reproductives, winged females and males that eventually leave the nest on their nuptial flights.
The colony dwindles and dies after the queen has died.
This is a typical sort of life cycle for most temperate social insects but the details may vary massively.
Myrmica rubra - found throughout Britian, but mainly seen in the South. has colonies of about 100 ants.
Myrmica ruginodis - perhaps the most common of the Myrmica family. Colonies can reach a size of several hundred members.

Rough Biology:
Males and females copulate during a "nuptial flight" in August or September (only sexual forms can fly). The Queen loses her wings after nuptial flight and spends the first winter in a nest chamber which she has excavated. The following summer eggs that she has laid develop into larvae and may mature into adult workers. She feeds the first brood and herself on stored reserves of protein. Mature workers begin to collect food and care for younger siblings.

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