An ant colony is a structured community of ants that work together to survive and thrive. Each colony typically consists of a queen, workers, and drones. The queen's primary role is to reproduce, while worker ants gather food, care for the young, and maintain the nest. Drones are male ants whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen. Ant colonies can vary in size, from a few dozen to millions of ants, depending on the species. They communicate through pheromones, which are chemical signals that help them coordinate activities like foraging and defending the nest. This cooperation allows them to efficiently exploit resources and adapt to their environment.