Black Field Ants (F. subsericea)
Formica subsericea is a beginner-level ant species. It is a medium sized, fast-moving, easily excited shiny ant.
NOTE: Currently hibernating (Beginning 9/28/23)
STATES AVAILABLE TO BUY FORMICA SUBSERICEA: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Species Info
General: Formica subsericea is an easy-to-keep species. The queen and workers are both black with a silver shine.
Diet: This species enjoys sugars to a degree, but also loves protein, especially fruit flies. They will take honey, sugarwater, fruit flies, crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, etc.
Temperature: Formica subsericea loves to heat their brood. A good temperature for them would be around 82 degrees fahrenheit. Sometimes the workers don't like to be heated, so provide a heating gradient in the nest.
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 grow slow for the first year, but can get into the dozens by the second year and hundreds or thousands after that.
Queen size: 9-13mm
Worker size: 5-9mm
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If ants arrive in bad condition, contact us for help. Live arrival is guaranteed.
SHIPPING INFO
Shipping happens from Monday-Wednesday. During the winter, shipping may cost more due to the need of a heat pack.