Ants For Sale In
Michigan
Welcome to the list of ants for sale in Michigan! Every species here can be legally sent to Michigan. Each ant colony will come healthy, with fertile, mated queen ants!
About Ants in Michigan
Michigan's two peninsulas give keepers here an unusual range to work with: the sandy jack pine barrens and dune systems of the north, with the hardwood forests and old farm country of the south, and a lot of shoreline in between. Sandy soils in the south in particular support ant communities you won't find in heavier ground (such as Pheidole bicarinata), while on the other extreme, the forests of the UP support more northern species.
Why some species can't be sent to Michigan
Live ant shipments across state lines are regulated by USDA APHIS, and permits are issued species-by-species and state-by-state. Every species listed above is one that the USDA permits to ship to Michigan.
Best beginner species for Michigan keepers
Tetramorium immigrans: everywhere urban in southern Michigan and about as forgiving as ants get.
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (Harvester Ants): larger, bolder, orange species that never disappoints. If you're looking for larger more active ants, this is your colony. These ants need heat. Not native to MI, but deregulated across the US.
Camponotus pennsylvanicus: the classic big black carpenter ant of Michigan woodlots and old barns. Long-living colonies, huge queens/workers, with a relaxed growth speed.
Ants you'll notice around Michigan:
The small dark ants in every Detroit or Grand Rapids sidewalk crack are likely pavement ants (T. immigrans). The big black ones in an old barn beam or a rotting stump are likely carpenter ants (Camponotus). Michigan has plenty of both habitat and ants to fill it. Out in the sandy jack pine country up north, the mounds you'll see in clearings are usually Formica. Beneath stones and logs in the woods, you'll often see Lasius or other cryptics, like Stenamma, Stigmatomma, or Myrmecina.