***In-Stock - These are NOT backordered.  See Below for Shipping information***

If you live in the following states, we can ship these to you:

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

***There is also a bundle version available for this species that includes a Mini Hearth formicarium with discounted options.  Click here to view****

Quick Reference:

Species Name: Camponotus discolor/decipiens

Size: Small to Medium (major workers-yes)

Growth Rate: Above Average

Need Heating Beyond Room Temperatures?  Yes

Need Diapause? No, but recommended.

Foods: Common Feeder Insects, Apples and other fruits, honey water, among other possibilities.

Level of Difficulty For Care: Easy

***The conflicting identification issue: The identification of these ants have been confirmed as Camponotus discolor by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in April of 2022.  Contrary to that identification, another well-known and respected Myrmecologist versed in ant identification, has identified them in person as Camponotus decipiens.  There is value in knowing which species in terms of permits (both ants are on every permit now, so no violations can occur in that regard for any of these ants shipped by Tar Heel Ants), and also in colony natural life cycles. 

The bottom line, the colonies can get into many thousands from these queens.  This is important to note when choosing these ants as a pet ant colony.***

Please read the following!!!!  Shipping takes place during the first part of the week, typically Monday through Wednesday, and again on Saturday.  We do not ship towards the middle of the week due to carriers not delivering on Sunday.  Ants are only shipped during weather conditions that are deemed safe for them to survive, so please keep that in mind as you wait on your ants to be mailed.  Each colony must be moved to a shipping container which takes 2-3 days.  Having said this, ants do not ship the same day they are ordered.  Contact us at tarheelants@gmail.com with any other questions regarding shipping.

Why buy from Tar Heel Ants?

-Colonies are hand picked (from dozens of our best colonies) to be the strongest in terms of number of brood and workers and most actively producing queens.

-Founded in the highest quality settings using our Genesis Insert System.

-Regularly fed and cared for, always living in clean and habitable environments.

-Did we already say hand-picked from many queens available? This needs to be emphasized. It means you are ordering a Camponotus discolor queen (and young colony or brood) that is considered in excellent condition at the time of shipping.  

-Guaranteed Live Arrival!!!!  You must accept the package immediately upon delivery, and contact us immediately if there are any problems with delivery! Please be ready to provide photo or video evidence of the problems so they can be used for improvement of shipping/handling the issues involved with your delivery.

-Package Options Available ---- We use the Mini Hearth as the favorite founding setup but have many more options on our website.  See the Package including queen, workers, and a formicarium on the Ants For Sale Page.

What comes in the package?  a test tube and insert, and packaging materials. 

What is the care for this ant species? 

PDF Care Sheet accompanies the shipment of your ant colony. 

General care suggestions:

•  Moderate heat for a portion of the day (78-84 degrees).  Not heating these ants is "ok", but your colony should be expected to grow slower than average.

• Food recommended is fruit flies, dubia roaches, and sweet liquids such as organic honey and apple slices. Mix in a variety of other foods such as crickets, mealworms, other organic fruits, etc.  These ants are not known to be "picky" eaters, but rotating foods is recommended as with most ant species to keep options available.

• Species size is small to medium, however later generation workers are much bigger with this species than in the founding stages.  These ants have majors that are as large as the queen herself! 

• The growth rate is faster than average for the genus.

Is there a Warranty?

Warranty:  The delivery of these ants alive is guaranteed.  Having said that, you are expected to make arrangements to be available to receive your ants if the temperature is too warm or too cold on the day of arrival.    If there is any problem with delivery you must contact us immediately by email or phone.  After the ants arrive we do not guarantee their survival.  Email us at tarheelants@gmail.com with comments or questions.

If your queen does not arrive alive please be prepared to provide evidence (unfortunately this is required for replacement) and answer a few short questions so we can try to understand what may have gone wrong during shipping.  Problems are very rare but when they do occur contact us by email or phone (919) 348-3642.

How are they shipped? 

There are several layers of protection to help protect your queens and colonies during shipping.  In all cases they are shipped inside our proprietary genesis inserts to keep them safe from drowning and protect their brood during shipping.   They come inside a puncture resistant tube as well.

Additional Information:

Please see note at the top of this post.