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Ants (colonies and queens)

Ant colonies and fertile queens by genus and species, from beginner-friendly to tropical.

Messor — harvester ants Camponotus — carpenter ants Pheidole — big-headed ants Myrmecia — bulldog ants Harpegnathos — jumping hunter ants Odontomachus — trap-jaw ants Tetraponera — arboreal ants Crematogaster — acrobat ants Oecophylla — weaver ants Polyrhachis — spiny ants Ectomomyrmex — predatory ponerines Meranoplus — shield ants Odontoponera — toothed ponerines Acanthomyrmex — gnome ants Colobopsis — door-head ants Diacamma — ponerine ants Neoponera — tropical ponerines Novomessor — American harvesters Veromessor — desert harvesters Myrmicaria — builder ants Paraponera — bullet ants Lasius — garden ants Formica — wood ants Other ants

What exactly you are buying

  • Queen — a fertile female with no workers. The cheapest and slowest start: the first workers appear after a few weeks or months.
  • Queen with brood — eggs, larvae or pupae are already there, so the first workers arrive sooner.
  • Colony — a queen with workers. These ants already forage on their own and grow faster.

Young colonies usually come in a test tube with a water reservoir plugged with cotton. They can live in it until it gets crowded — there is no need to move them into a big farm straight away.

Choosing your first species

Beginners do best with hardy temperate species: Messor harvester ants and Lasius garden ants. They cope with room temperature and forgive care mistakes. Tropical species need warmth all year, and some need high humidity, so they are better left for later. Each species page lists its size, diet, hibernation needs and a suitable type of farm.

Before you buy

Plan for hibernation: most temperate species need it, and it lasts several months somewhere cool. Have food ready — seeds for harvester ants, sugars and insects for other species.

Catalog

Go to catalog