Pogonomyrmex occidentalis are among the best species available throughout the entire U.S. (excluding Florida). These ants can stay active year round, thrive on a diet consisting mainly of seeds, and are among the most active species.  They are a whirlwind of activity, and fun to watch at all stages.

Important Information

• Pogonomyrmex occidentalis can be shipped to all lower 48 states except Florida . 

• These ants will ship with a minimum range of 8-12 workers for safe shipping.  We do not ship queens by themselves.

• Care Note: Heating is required beyond room temperature.  A reptile heating cable, heat mat, or heat lamp is the best option.  Please use extra caution when heating in test tubes!   We recommend a small formicarium such as a Mini Hearth for these ants to begin with.

Shipping Information

Shipping takes place during the first part of the week, typically Monday, Tuesday and again on Friday/Saturday in some cases.  We do not ship on Wednesday and Thursday (unless express shipping or 1-day arrival is expected).  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 that arrives must be moved to a permanent home within 2-3 days after arrival (recommended) and kept in a cool place during this time.   Contact us at tarheelants@gmail.com with any other questions regarding shipping.***  

 NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT CHOOSE SHIPPING OPTIONS THAT ARE QUOTED MORE THAN THREE DAYS.  We Recommend: USPS - Priority Mail, or Express  UPS - Ground (if three days or less), Two Day Air, or Next Day Air.  For other delivery options, email us or call.

General Information

Common Name: Western Harvester Ant

Scientific Name: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Species Size: Medium

Growth Rate: Fast

Special: Can Sting, Poor Climbers, Heating is required to at least 80 degrees (Heat Cable, Heat Pad, Heat Lamp), higher temperatures preferred for normal growth rates.

Why buy from Tar Heel Ants?

-Our Colonies are hand picked at the time of shipping from our selection of our top performing colonies. 

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

-Raised on organic Dandelion Seeds (by far their most preferred founding stage seed we have found to date for this species)

-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.  

Additional Shipping Information

We typically ship ant colonies on Monday, Tuesday and Saturdays with some exceptions (UPS does not ship on Saturday, for example).  If you want 1-2 day, express shipping for your ant colony choose USPS Priority Mail Express.  We will not ship Express on Saturday without a specific request to do so.  We do also use UPS and Fedex (only M-F) for overnight shipping and the option that is the best for your location depends on your states distance from us, so please contact us through email or phone (tarheelants@gmail.com or 919-348-3642) to discuss overnight options (1 day delivery).  Overnight shipping in general is for the protection of the ants during delivery.  We do not ship ants every day, and it takes time to prepare them for shipping.  If you order ants today using 1-day shipping, that does not mean they will arrive tomorrow!!!  We will ship them on the next best day (depending on factous such as temperatures, weather, holidays etc.)  We are flexible with shipping times, and often can ship things quickly to meet deadlines (birthdays, events, etc.), so please call with requests for expedited shipping needs.

We offer heat and ice pack options, so please use these if you expect them to be helpful to the safe arrival of your ant colony.  We do check national and local temperatures prior to each shipment, and will contact you should there be need for further communication about your delivery due to weather complications.  If temperatures are 90-110 Fahrenheit, ice packs will only help for a short time.  Please plan ahead and setup notifications to your phone or email address with your tracking information we send to you upon completion of your order.  Boxes left out in the sun with live ants should be brought inside as soon as possible.  Ice and Heat packs are for protection DURING transit, not for protection once they are dropped off.  We require you to plan for the ants to be brought inside within 30 minutes of their arrival if temperatures are below 40 Fahrenheit or above 80 Fahrenheit OR if they will be left in a sunny location.

-Bundle Package Options Are Available ---- We use the Mini Hearth as the favorite founding setup but have many more options on our website.  See the Package Queens For Options that include a formicarium and everything else you need to get started with this species.

Who can order them?

All lower 48 states (except Florida).  

What comes in the package?

With each queen/colony comes a small supply of seeds (dandelion/bluegrass mix), a test tube and insert and surrounding protection layers, and packaging materials.  

What is the care for this ant species?

The following guide 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.   The habitat must provide high humidity and constant drinking water (we recommend the Mini Hearth or Mini Hearth XL as a founding habitat).

GUIDE LINK

Warranty:  The delivery of these ants alive is guaranteed.  The receiver is expected to make arrangements to be available to receive the package within 15-30 minutes after arrival if the temperature is below 40 or above 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or if left in other harsh weather conditions that may injure the colony).    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.  Please communicate with us if they do not appear healthy when delivered.  We have prepared a guide and a couple of videos to serve as tutorials to aid in getting your queen and colony setup properly  Please read this guide thoroughly and watch the videos at the bottom of that page.  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.  NOTE: ANTS MUST BE MOVED TO A LONG-TERM HOME IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVING THEM, OR THE PROCESS OF MOVING THEM INTO A FORMICARIUM SHOULD BE STARTED.  DO NOT LEAVE THE ANTS IN THE SHIPPING TUBE LONGER THAN 2 WEEKS, THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A PERMANENT HOME.  IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS, PLEASE CALL US (919) 348-3642 OR EMAIL tarheelants@gmail.com.