How old must a colony be to produce swarmers?

A colony must be three to five years old to produce swarmers. This timeframe is indicative of the maturity level required for the colony to reach a point where it can generate reproductive individuals, known as swarmers or alates. Swarmers are essential for the propagation and expansion of the colony, as they are the winged forms that leave the colony to mate and establish new colonies.

Typically, it takes a few years for the colony to gather sufficient resources and develop a strong enough infrastructure before it can divert energy towards reproduction. Before that, they focus on growth, foraging, and developing their living quarters, which are critical for maintaining colony health and longevity. A colony that is not yet within that three to five-year range has not accumulated enough strength or resources to initiate the production of swarmers. Therefore, this is the right age range that promotes the reproductive capacity of a colony, leading to the generation of swarmers.