Queen ants are the primary reproducing ant in a colony, usually being the mother to all other ants in the colony. They come from larvae that is specially fed 'royal jelly' to become sexually mature. Some species only need a single mother queen while others may have hundreds of fertile queens to create an overcrowded colony.
Once a colony is established, the queen ant lays eggs continuously. She picks and chooses which eggs to fertilize by using sperm cells retained from nuptial flight, which is a phase in the ant's life that consists of mating then moving on to start new colonies.
Despite being the queen, she has very little control over what the colony does. Her role has nothing to do with making decisions or commanding authority, she simply keeps reproducing. However, she is waited on hand and foot, being provided with food and having her waste disposed so she doesn't need to move. Talk about room service!
