You are Purchasing a colony of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis that contains a queen, minimum of 75-100 workers and brood piles consisting of eggs, larvae, and pupae as well.

This Bundle includes the Labyrinth (click here to see orginal product) formicarium.   If you are unsure about the decor style, please watch the video linked on the Labyrinth page on decor.  Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are a medium-sized ant species so we will make chambers sized for them unless you state otherwise in your comments.  The creation of this package formicarium will use the standard times to complete a Labyrinth so please see that page for more details.

***We do have a Ready-To-Ship page for the Labyrinth.  Please check out the page for versions of the Labyrinth that are already made.  You can send us the product name via email (for example, Labyrinth 1000 Red, and we will send your choice off this page at no additional charge.  This will greatly reduce the time it will take to ship your order as it takes 2-3 weeks to complete a formicarium from scratch.

Why buy from Tar Heel Ants?

-Queens/colonies are hand picked from dozens of queens to be the strongest in number of brood and most actively producing queens.  Each time we are picking out a colony to be shipped, we pick from a selection of colonies and choose the most healthy colonies available at the time.

-Founded in the highest quality settings using our Genesis Insert System for feeding and housing.

-Raised on organic Dandelion Seeds.

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

-Guaranteed Live Arrival

Options Available:

Seed Boost (Optional)

Heating Cable

Nestmate Additions 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. 

Who can order them?

All lower 48 states (except Florida).  California requires a simple permit but this is easy to obtain and usually only a few days turnaround time(see below for links and more information).

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?

The following guide (link below) was written to answer many questions on how to care for them.  There are three basic principles covered.  Food consists mainly of 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.

https://tarheelants.com/pages/pogonomyrmex-occidentalis-guide

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.

 ***PLEASE READ BEFORE ORDERING - The ants being ordered on this page require being transferred to another habitat within a few days after receiving them.  They are shipped in safe conditions for the mail but have no access to food or water inside their shipping containers.  They can live for quite a long time in these conditions, the humidity inside the shipping container is very high and prevents loss of moisture.  Please do not leave them in these shipping setups after they arrive for more than a few days, they need food and water to continue to grow as a healthy colony!

California permit links:

 Email us at tarheelants@gmail.com on more information how to apply for this permit.  This permit is being granted FAST, most times within 1-2 days.  The link to the page to apply this permit is below.

Main page: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/permitsandregs.html

Permit Page: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/docs/forms/Form_66-026.pdf

 NOTE:If you are unable to complete a digital signature, you may print the application and either scan and email the signed form to permits@cdfa.ca.gov or fax it to 916-654-1018.