Ant keepers enjoy a fun and educational hobby, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has an interest in it. You might wonder what ant keeping has to do with American agriculture and natural resources. Some invertebrates that people—including ant keepers—import into the U.S. or move between states could threaten our crops, forests, and community landscapes if they escape. USDA can help you import and move them safely.
Artisan Ant Nests,
Inspired By Nature
Here at Buckeye Myrmecology, we strive to provide you with affordable, high quality nests that your ants will love.
Featured Products
$13-$15
A refillable test tube with a gypsum backing; in the US, these are often called bamboo tubes due to the resemblance between the gypsum wall and the chambers in bamboo. Bamboo tubes are a great option for raising queens and small colonies of cocoon spinning species, or ants that need substrate to grip. Unlike regular test tubes, they can be used indefinitely, so there’s no need to stress about moving your colony to a new tube!
$60-$72
Myrmecocystus mimicus is a medium-sized honeypot ant found in the southwest United States. Colonies of this species reach approximately 5,000 workers, of which 20-25% are repletes. Repletes are a caste of swollen workers that act as food stores for the colony. If you’re looking to raise your first colony of honeypot ants, Myrmecocystus mimicus is a great choice!
$86-$98
Myrmecocystus mexicanus is a large, nocturnal honeypot ant that is native to the southwestern United States. Like other honeypot ants, this species has a replete caste of workers who store food for the colony. The replete caste of M. mexicanus is especially large, and rivals those of M. mendax! All in all, Myrmecocystus mexicanus is a colorful and active honeypot ant species that is a great choice for any antkeeper.
$76-$88
Myrmecocystus mendax is a large, diurnal honeypot ant that is native to the southwestern United States. Like other honeypot ants, this species has a replete caste of workers who store food for the colony. The replete caste of M. mendax is especially large, and can reach the size of a small grape! All in all, Myrmecocystus mendax is a unique and interesting species for any antkeeper.
$44-$62
Pogonomyrmex barbatus is the largest harvester ant species in the US, with workers reaching up to 12.9 millimeters long. They’re an active, fast-growing species that is incredibly fun to keep. Get your colony of P. barbatus today!
$88-$112
Myrmecocystus kennedyi is a medium-sized honeypot ant species found in the western US. Workers range in size from 5 to 7mm, and queens are 11-14 millimeters long. Colonies grow large, reaching into the thousands. Like other honeypot ants, they are known for their replete worker caste, which have gasters swollen with food and hang from the ceilings of their nests. M. kennedyi is a great choice for anybody interested in keeping honeypot ants!
To keep ants, you usually need equipment that most people don’t have laying around the house. The Beginner Antkeeping Kit contains all the equipment and tools you need to raise your very own ant colony, all in one product! Test tubes, cotton, forceps, feeders, and fluon, this kit has everything a new antkeeper needs — except ants.
Formica subsericea is an active, fast-growing species found in the midwestern and eastern US. Workers are a silver-grey, and range from 4-6mm in size. In the wild, this species is known for making mound nests larger than a foot in diameter. They are also commonly used as a host species by Polyergus and many parasitic Formica species. Due to their quick growth rate, F. subsericea can be a good beginner species.
A longtime staple in the antkeeping hobby, the Petri Dish Formicarium is an excellent option for any price-concious antkeeper, with the added benefit of being able to house a very wide range of ant species. This nest is capable of housing anything from large active species to small cryptics, and everything in between. The rough surface and embedded substrate allows many species that cannot walk on plastic or glass to utilize the nest, and provides a medium to aid larvae in spinning cocoons.
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A Step Above The Rest
What makes Buckeye Myrmecology the place to go for ant colonies, ant nests, and antkeeping supplies?
Healthy Ants
We attentively observe and care for all of our colonies as they grow from just a single queen, so that we always send you the healthiest colonies available.
Quality Products
All of our products have undergone rigorous testing to ensure safety, consisency, and optimal colony growth speeds.
By Antkeepers, For Antkeepers.
We've been keeping ants for over 5 years, and during that time we've learned a lot about them. We've put all of this knowledge directly into our nests, so they can meet the needs of ant colonies around the world.
Fair Prices
A lot of factors go into the way we price our products, all to make sure you can get the best nests for the best prices.