Messor Barbarus "doll"

This is one of the MANY Messor Barbarus dolls (egg > larvae > doll > developed ant) that is currently in my colony. As you can see, they are white and rubbery looking but as they develop, the chitin hardens and gets darker.

In the foreground is one of the lesser developed larvae. They have a single opening at the thin end in which the nursery worker ants feed them by. During these early stages of development - the ants require lots of quality proteins. Without this, they do not grow to be big and strong and end up looking all spindly - such as any of the first ants (nanites) from a new queen - especially fully claustral Queens.