Click HERE for Western Harvester Ant Care
FAQ
Q. How do I care for the Harvester Ants that came with my Ant Farm?
A. Click the "Harvester Ant Care" link just above this question.
Q. Do these come with, or do you sell ants?
A. The Vertical units come with Harvester ants but there is no queen with them. It is illegal in the USA to transport or ship a queen ant across state lines (exception Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) despite people starting to sell them anyway on platforms like Etsy and Ebay. Additional replacement ants can be purchased via www.antsalive.com with the best prices we have been able to find.
Q. Are these Ant Farms like at the pet or Hobby Store?
A. The Vertical Sand Farm is similar to the ones you will find in some stores but ours is far superior in design and features. While it does come with some live Harvester Ants (or you can ask us to omit these) it can easily be used for other species as well. Any nest digging species would work that are larger than 1mm in size. Our units offer expandability as well as 7 different areas to control the humidity inside the unit. Our model also includes a large 8x4x4 inch habitat/foraging area for the ants and not just a tunneling area.
Q. Where can I order a Queen Ant?
A. It is illegal to ship a Queen Ant across State lines in the USA (exception Pogonomyrmex occidentalis). Despite this people are still selling them on platforms like Ebay and Etsy. Just know that you are taking the risk and breaking US Dept. of Agriculture laws should you decide to purchase this way.
You can catch one around your yard or community during the right time of year based on the type of ant, or you can locate an ant farmer within your state and purchase a ready to go colony. There is a forum over at www.formiculture.com that is filled with great information as well as a marketplace of people selling ant queens/colonies all over the USA. This is a far better option as you will get someone from your home state so shipping should be fast and cheap. They are often much cheaper than the selling platforms like Ebay.
Alternatively, there is the GAN Project (Global Ant Nursery) that lists farmers all over the world who have queen ants with colonies available for sale. They have a directory listed by country and state/province. I will include some links at the bottom of the page for more help on both of these options.
Q. How do I go about catching a queen ant?
A. All through the spring and summer months multiple queen ants are released from existing ant mounds/colonies. Start off by researching what type of ants and when these "nuptial" flights will take place in your region as it really does vary a lot from species and region. I HIGHLY suggest watching these 2 videos in order for further information:
Finding & Catching Queen Ants
How to Raise a Queen Ant
These are excellent guides on how to catch and setup the initial home for the queen.
Q. Once I receive my Order how will I know how to set it up?
A. There is a pictured step by step guide right here on the site under the Help tab called "setup" for each style of farm we sell. Video to come soon.
Q. How long will it take to ship out once I place an order?
A. If you order from Etsy or Ebay we typically require 3-5 business days to ship depending on the time of year. If you order direct from our website here you get a faster processing time. Typically we require 1-3 business days from the website before shipping. All our units are manufactured then assembled by hand to ensure everything fits correctly.
Q. HELP! How do I control the humidity?
A. The vertical sand farms allow water to be put to the sand in 7 different places. Simply remove one of the plugs and using the included pipette squeeze in the water and it will spread through the area. There are 6 holes covered with small black plugs and the main top central plug can also be removed for adding water as well.
Shipping Questions
Q. How long before my order ships?
A. We require up to 1-3 business days before shipping at which time you will be sent a tracking number via email.
Q. I opened the package and there is damage to the contents. What do I do?
A. Contact us immediately. Do not throw anything away. Pictures are key.
Q. I received my package and there is damage to the outside box. What should I do?
A. Contact us immediately. If you have not opened it yet, take some pictures of the damage then open and see if everything is okay. If there is any damage or missing contents let us know what they are.
Q. Do you ship Internationally?
A. We currently do not ship outside of the USA due to incredibly high shipping costs for packages of this weight (4lbs)
Q. What shipping methods do you offer?
A. We use USPS Priority Mail for the majority of our shipping with UPS Ground being utilized for western states like Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada and some California locations. Shipping method is at our discretion.
Helpful Link
Formiculture Ant Forum – A GREAT forum full of information on how and where to collect your queen ants, full beginner section for asking questions and even a marketplace to help locate people in your area that are selling queens.
Ants Alive - Excellent source for replacement ants for your ant farm. Best prices online that I have found.