Antlion Life Cycle

The antlion is neither a type of ant nor lion but an insect of the Myrmeleontidae family, of the order Neuroptera. Though the name is frightening and they appear vicious, these insects are harmless to humans. In fact, in the larval stage they are often referred to as "doodlebugs." To other insects, however, the name "antlion" is much more fitting.

Appearance

The antlion larva is about half and inch long and gray or brown with a large head, short legs, jaw and a soft, bristly body.
The adult looks a lot like a dragonfly, with a similar long, thin body and transparent wings but longer antennae. In North America, the adult antlion is typically about 1.5 inches long, though species have been found throughout the world measuring from .8 inches long at the shortest to 6.3 inches at the longest.

Larval Stage

The antlion spends almost its entire life as a larva. In this stage, it hides under debris or wood or digs pits in the sand and waits for another insect, such as an ant, to pass by or fall in. At that point, the antlion attacks with its oversize jaws, through which it sucks out the insect's fluids.
The term "doodlebug" for this stage comes from the trails it leaves in sand while looking for a good location to dig. When it finds a spot, it draws several circles that get deeper as they go farther into the hole, to make it more likely an insect will fall in and not be able to get out.
The larval stage lasts between one and three years.

Pupal Stage

In this stage, the antlion creates a cocoon for itself by mixing sand with the silky material it excretes from its abdomen. Within the cocoon, it goes through metamorphosis, after which it tears open a hole and emerges as an imago (adult).
This process typically takes about three weeks to a month.

Adult Stage

The adult antlion has small wings that are at first too soft to use, so it climbs a nearby plant and spreads out to let them harden. This takes roughly 20 minutes. Once it can fly, the adult will fly into a nearby tree and look for a mate. They are most active at night and can often be seen hanging upside down from tree branches---part of their mating process. Although they will feed as needed on other insects, the primary focus of antlion adults is reproduction.
The adult antlion typically lives between a month and 45 days.

Starting Over

When ready, the female antlion finds a spot to lay her eggs. When she does, she taps the location several times with her abdomen then inserts it to lay an egg. She will perform this process about 20 times, sometimes in the same area and sometimes at different locations.
She returns to a tree after laying her eggs and begins the process again. This goes on until she dies.
The lifespan of an antlion, from egg to adult, can be anywhere from just over a year to three years.

References

• Antlion Pit
• AgriLife