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If you're buying your first queen, you'll see two kinds of listings: a lone founding queen in a test tube, and a queen that already has a handful of workers. Some shops will tell you one of these is the only responsible option. We sell both, and we think the right answer depends on your preference, with some caveats! Here's the honest version. What you're actually buying A founding queen is a mated queen that hasn't raised her first workers yet. She may have eggs or larvae; s

If you bought an ant farm from a big-box store or a marketplace listing, opened it, and found a few dozen ants running around with no queen, you didn't get a defective product. You got exactly what the box promised, even if it didn't say so on the front! Here's what's going on with that, and exactly how to fix it. Ant farm kits almost never include a queen The classic gel or sand ant farm ships with worker ants only. Workers are all female, but they're sterile. They can dig t

Stateside Ants is excited to announce that we have, currently, the first colony of Lasius colei, a mysterious and poorly documented species, in captivity! Below, we will detail their strange habits! The colony began with a queen in July 2025, who was introduced to a few workers of Lasius americanus. Since then, they've grown smoothly and quickly to number more than 500 biological workers. This queen couldn't begin her own colony without Lasius americanus workers because she's

If you're into ant keeping, you've certainly heard about "queen ants" and "worker ants." They sound different, and they are. Knowing the difference between queen ants and worker ants will enable you to monitor your colony effectively, but also notice queen ants in the wild, if you ever stumble across one! Size: The Most Obvious Difference The easiest way to spot a queen is to look at size. Queens are noticeably larger than workers — though this is true for most ant species, n

So you've decided to get into ant keeping — welcome to one of the most rewarding hobbies out there! But with hundreds of ant species found across the United States, figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. To make it easier, we've ranked the top 10 widely available native species that are well-suited for beginners, from the most forgiving to a little more hands-on. 1. Tetramorium immigrans – Pavement Ant If there's one species built for the beginner ant keeper, it's T

If you want to start an ant colony and watch the full life cycle from the very beginning, now is the ideal time. Our current Lasius neoniger queens have just finished diapause, the resting period where they pause development during cold months! This means they are ready to found new colonies, and Lasius neoniger is a fantastic species to work with. Native across the entire United States, these ants are accessible to most keepers and offer a rewarding experience for beginners

One of the most common mistakes beginners make when growing colonies is underfeeding . In this post, we'll introduce superfeeding , the exact opposite of underfeeding. Throughout the antkeeping hobby, antkeepers all over the world might have malnourished colonies that aren't being pushed to their full potential. While some keepers don't quite need to grow their colonies quickly, others want to ensure their colony is growing as fast as physically possible! If you're someone wh

If you’ve ever been curious about starting an ant colony or expanding your existing ant farm, you’re in the right place! Queen ants are the heart and soul of any thriving colony. Without a queen, your ant farm won’t grow or survive long-term. Today, I’m excited to share everything you need to know about queen ants, how to buy them, and why they’re such fascinating creatures to keep. Ready to dive in? Let’s go! Why Queen Ants Are So Important Queen ants are the foundation of e

Why Aren't My Ants Eating? Antkeeping is an exciting and rewarding hobby. However, sometimes new antkeepers run into an issue where their ants don’t seem to be eating. This can be frustrating and even concerning, especially if you’re trying to grow a healthy colony. The good news is that there are several common reasons why ants might not be eating, and most of them are easy to fix. Here’s a detailed breakdown of why your ants might be refusing food and what you can do to add

A Lasius aphidicola colony (and hosts) with a healthy amount of brood (ant eggs, larvae, pupae) Over the past few years, due to large social media accounts such as LightsCameraAnts and AntsCanada, the antkeeping hobby has grown exponentially. This is great news! It also means, however, that there are many new antkeepers. One of the biggest problems with new antkeepers is the struggle to get their colonies to grow. Sometimes, colonies grow, but they don't grow very fast. Other