Tar Heel Ants can ship Pogonomyrmex badius to the following states in the U.S.A: (we have proper permits from the U.S.D.A. for all of these states and a copy of this permit and additional information will accompany each shipment).
This listing comes with a guarantee of at least one major worker with your new colony and Fallen Fortress Bundle!!!
Arkansas, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. ***
Read the following!!!! Shipping takes place during the first part of the week, typically Monday, Tuesday and again on Saturday. 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. Normally ants do not ship the same day they are ordered. Contact us at tarheelants@gmail.com with any other questions regarding shipping. PLEASE DO NOT CHOOSE SHIPPING OPTIONS THAT ARE QUOTED MORE THAN THREE DAYS. We Recommend: USPS - Priority Mail, or Priority Mail Express UPS - Ground (if three days or less), Two Day Air, or Next Day Air.
***This Bundle includes the Fallen Fortress (click here to see orginal product) formicarium. ***
***Use the options with this package to choose your decor, color, etc and other items needed. If you are new to the hobby, most of these package options are recommended/required for this species. Also, please check on the Ready-To-Ship page for Fallen Fortress versions ready to ship. Standard time to complete a new one is around 2-3 weeks average, depending on your options chosen and the time of year (peak season is longer). PLEASE NOTE: Some of the versions of the Fallen Fortress have additional features such as a Museum Quality Box or Glow-in-the-dark features. These costs will increase the total package price, please email us prior or soon after ordering for instructions on using these versions off the Ready To Ship pages.***
***You can send us the product name via email or type it in the comments box during checkout (for example, Fallen Fortress 1000 Red) and we will send your choice off this page at no additional charge.***
Why buy from Tar Heel Ants?
-Queens are hand picked from dozens of queens/colonies to be the strongest in number of brood and most actively producing queens at the time of shipping.
-Founded in specialized founding habitats; Genesis test tube Insert system for feeding and maintenance.
-Raised on organic Dandelion Seeds (to date, we have observed these as their preferred seed over all others we have tested)
-Guaranteed Live Arrival-See Below
Options Available:
Seed Boost (Optional)
Heating Cable - Zoo Med Heat Cables
Nestmate Additions - Pogonomyrmex badius are notorious for clogging up water sources, this option includes two additional nestmates and a stopper for switching them out quickly. Cleaning once every two weeks with hot water is recommended.
What comes in the package? With each queen comes a small supply of seeds (our choice of Kentucky Blue Grass, Dandelion, Chia, and others), a test tube and insert, and packaging materials. Options are available below for habitat and other accessories.
What is the care for this ant species?
(SEE BELOW FOR UPDATES ON CARE GUIDE FOR POGONOMYRMEX BADIUS)
The following guide was written to answer many questions on how to care for a sister species, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. There are three basic principles covered in this guide that also applies to Pogonomyrmex badius. Food consists mainly of seeds (we strongly recommend dandelion seeds). The recommended heat sources are those used for reptiles such as a heating cable or reptile heating pad. A heat lamp can also work when carefully positioned with a thermometer as a guide. The habitat must provide high humidity and constant drinking water (we recommend the Mini Hearth or Mini Hearth XL as a founding habitat along with the current Fallen Fortress habitat).
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 cannot guarantee their survival but have prepared a guide and a couple of videos to serve as tutorials to aid in getting your queen and colony setup properly. We have put significant time and energy into putting together advice on how to best raise them so please read this PDF thoroughly. Email us at tarheelants@gmail.com with comments or questions.
If your queen does not arrive alive please be prepared to provide evidence (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 queen(s) 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. During warm conditions we will ship them ice packs. They come inside a puncture resistant tube as well.
****UPDATE ON CARE RECOMMENDATIONS: We still strongly recommend dandelion seeds as a primary food, heating between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit, and steady water supply for drinking as the best care regimen for these founding colonies. Humidity is something these ants are very in tune with(as with most ants), and a habitat that provides high humidity (such as a Mini Hearth, Fallen Fortress, Aerie, etc.) is important to their success as a colony. Insufficient heating is the #1 cause for failure in our experience helping others raise these ants. Heating cables, heat pads, or heat lamps are an absolute requirement (unless you have a heated room or incubator). If you notice your colonies brood piles shrinking or periods where there is none, despite proper feeding, heating, and hydration please contact us for assistance in troubleshooting!
Recommended Care:
Diet - Dandelion seeds, larger grass seeds, chia seeds, and other smaller seeds. Dandelion seeds is by far the preferred seed out of what we have offered them, and seems to be a complete diet for them in the founding stage thus far. Fruit flies also have been offered to them and are eaten and fed to larvae readily. They will undoubtedly accept other protein sources including feeder insects, dried insects, fish flakes, and much more.
FURTHER NOTE ABOUT FEEDING: When feeding other forms of protein than seeds, be more diligent in watching trash piles and inside the nest for mold outbreaks on trash items. This is a concern for feeding them diets other than seeds. Queen and workers CAN AND WILL consume and ingest parts of the seeds as well, so this diet of seeds only is acceptable. It is common knowledge that adult ants cannot ingest solid foods but in the case with this species that is not true. (Note: Dr. Walter Tschinkel has passed this information along previously to us from studies performed at his lab).
Habitat recommendations: We have raised a number of colonies in Mini Hearth formicaria with great success to date. Our most successful colonies are in Mini Hearths and Aerie formicaria. Despite not being able to climb smooth surfaces, do not underestimate their ability to climb wood (required for ants in the Aerie habitats). If you choose to go this route, I recommend strongly you become familiar with the proper use of the nestmate device, as these ants are very thirsty for water in comparison with other ants we raise. Short periods without water will lead to them consuming brood for the liquids and also attempts to relocate! TIP: Have two water sources at all times. If one is a nestmate, the other can be a liquid feeder or wet cotton ball in a water cap.
In addition to using the nestmate for water consider a liquid feeder of some sort as well as a backup. Nestmate video Link. (At minimum watch the first 2-3 minutes). Other habitats from Tar Heel Ants we recommend would be the Fallen Fortress for colonies of 10-15 workers or more, Labyrinth styles for larger colonies of 100+, and Nucleus habitats as well. For questions and suggestions please reach out to us at tarheelants@gmail.com or call (919)348-3642 during business hours.
As a general recommendation for any ants, including this species especially due to the very large/deep nests they dig in the wild, using a digging media for this species nest type is not recommended without previous experience and success doing so. At minimum research proper soil types for this type of habitat (not found on our website), how to manage the hydration of your digging soil/sand, and a plan for heating. The inevitable expansion of the habitat should things go well with your colony should also be strongly considered in planning for your ant colonies home.
Heating: Like other Pogonomyrmex species, you MUST use a heating source if you are keeping them in a room with average room temperatures of 70-72 degrees or thereabouts. A heating cable, heat pad, or heat lamp system is recommended. The lowest wattage heat cable or heat pad is all you need to start, or a thermometer with the heat lamp. Target temperatures should be a minimum of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and an upper range of 85-90 degrees. Warmer temperatures can work just fine if kept constant and the ants have access to some cooler areas (or temperatures are alternated during a night and day cycle), but prepare for your habitats temperature to fluctuate with your room temperatures and provide a buffer against overheating. This is why we recommend 85 degrees, which is what we raise our colonies in during founding and beyond.
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