https://phys.org/news/2018-07-ant-evolution-workers-queens.html

A different kind of insulin injection

Working with graduate fellow Vikram Chandra and postdoctoral associate Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda, Kronauer first searched for differences in gene expression between reproducing and non-reproducing ants from a variety of species. They discovered that a single gene, which codes for the peptide ILP2, is consistently upregulated in reproducers. ILP2 is the ant version of insulin and, like human insulin, probably regulates metabolism. According to Kronauer, there is a direct link between reproduction and food intake: "If the nutritional state is really low, you can't afford to produce offspring," he says.