Sustaining a colony
Growth begins with routes, stores and a living queen.
Foragers bring food into the nest and put it down near a queen. These visible parcels form her reserve for births. If the local store can support another offspring and there is a free place in the chamber, a birth begins after a short rest.
Stores at the right nest
Several nests of one species belong to the same colony, yet each queen has her own local birthing area and rest period. Food elsewhere in the burrow is therefore not always food she can reach at once. Only a passable transport route and parcels placed nearby turn general stores into an effective reserve for births.
Parcels piled up in the outer passage. The queen still rested without stores in her distant chamber.
