Formica incerta
Formica incerta is an energetic, medium sized ant that is very sensitive to it's surroundings. A fun, quirky species to keep. NOTE: Currently hibernating.
STATES AVAILABLE TO BUY FORMICA INCERTA: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Species Info
Formica incerta are brownish/black ants from the fields of the midwest and northeast. They are medium sized, energetic, and fairly beginner-level ants to keep.
Diet is very general - Formica incerta love sugars, like honey or sugarwater, and proteins such as crickets, fruit flies, and mealworms. Fruit flies appear to be a favorite.
Colonies benefit from a heat source. A good temperature for this species is ~80 degrees. It may be ideal to provide a heating gradient in the nest, but this species can usually handle heat well.
This species requires a diapause period, which should last 3-4 months ideally. During this time, the ants need to be cooled down to a low temperature, with around 40 degrees fahrenheit being ideal. You can achieve diapause by placing the ants in a controlled cooling unit, such as a wine cooler, mini fridge, or regular fridge if temperatures are safe. If you cannot use any of these, a non-heated room which stays above freezing could work.
Formica incerta can be polygynous. This means multiple queens can cooperate in a single colony. Having multiple queens can speed up the growth of the colony, and increase the max colony size.
Brood development takes anywhere from 5-8 weeks, usually around 6-7 weeks total. Colonies can get into the dozens first year, typically hitting the hundreds in their second or 3rd year. Rarely do colonies exceed 1000-2000 individuals.
Queen Size: 8-11mm
Worker Size: 5-8mm
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SHIPPING INFO
Shipping happens from Monday-Wednesday. During the winter, shipping may cost more due to the need of a heat pack.