Prairie Mound Ant (F. montana)
Formica montana is an erratic beginner-level ant which grows quicker than most other Formica, and has a silverish red shine. Very polygynous.
STATES AVAILABLE TO BUY FORMICA MONTANA: Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio
Species Info
General: Formica montana is a fun, medium-large ant which grows quickly and is dark with a silver/red shine. These ants have all the perks of being Formica, without the downside of slow growth.
Diet: This species is very sugar loving, but they can also swarm protein. They'll take mealworms, crickets, especially fruit flies, etc. They are very easy to feed.
Temperature: Formica montana are mound ants. They use their mounds in the wild to heat late stage brood and avoid floods. You can provide this species lots of heat, but make sure there is some sort of gradient within the nest. 80-85 is a good peak temperature. These ants prefer high humidity.
Diapause: This species requires a diapause period. This period should last 3-4 months ideally. During this time, the ants need to be cooled down to a low temperature. Around 40 degrees fahrenheit is best. 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.
Growth: Brood development takes between 4-7 weeks, usually around 6 weeks. Colonies can get into the dozens or hundreds within the first year and hundreds or thousands by the second if fed enough. Queens can lay large batches of eggs.
Queen size: 7-10mm
Worker size: 4-7mm
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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.