Our study system, the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi, combines the rich social biology of ants with experimental amenability and genetic tractability. This species has an unusually simple social organization: colonies have no queens, but instead consist of workers that reproduce clonally and synchronously. Synchronized brood development drives stereotypical behavioral cycles of about one month, in which colonies alternate between reproductive and brood care phases. Synchronized reproduction also means that all adults emerge in discrete cohorts. This unique biology provides experimental control over several factors (e.g., age, genotype) that affect behavior and disease, both at the individual and group levels.