noun
- A worker ant, bee, or other social insect that performs labor for the colony.
Usage: entomology; technical
Examples
- The ergate ants foraged for food to bring back to the nest.
- In a honeybee colony, the ergate is responsible for building and maintaining the hive.
- Ergates make up the majority of individuals in a social insect colony.
- The ergate caste differs from the queen and males in both size and reproductive capacity.