The Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) is one of North America's most iconic and fascinating ant species. Native to the sandy habitats of Florida and the southeastern United States, these ants are renowned for their striking red and black colouration, impressive worker polymorphism and highly organised colonies.
Unlike most harvester ants, P. badius produces workers of several distinct sizes, from small minors to powerful majors with oversized heads used for processing seeds and defending the colony. Their colonies are highly active during the day, creating well-defined foraging trails and gathering seeds and insects to sustain their growing colony.
Mature colonies construct incredibly deep nests, often extending over 2 metres underground, with specialised seed storage chambers. One of their most intriguing behaviours is decorating the nest entrance with small pieces of charcoal and plant debris—a behaviour that continues to puzzle scientists today.
For experienced ant keepers, Pogonomyrmex badius offers an incredible opportunity to observe one of nature's most advanced seed-harvesting species. Their impressive size variation, constant activity and unique colony structure make them a true centrepiece in any collection.
Please Note: Pogonomyrmex badius possess a functional sting and are recommended for experienced ant keepers.
Colony form: Queen
Difficulty keeping: Advanced (Experience with at least two or more exotics is recommended)
Queen size/Gamergate: 11-14mm Dark red
Worker: 6-10mm
Food: seeds, honey water and insects
Temp: 24-30°C
Humidity: 40-60%
Founding: clasutral without feeding
Colony size: 1-5000 workers
Hibernation: NO
Live arrival guarantee:
We guarantee the live arrival of your Queen they come well packed in our jiffy bags which have two-sided padding as well as an additional layer of bubble wrap around our test tubes. We are the only company in the United Kingdom to offer our live arrival guarantee of your queen as well as an additional 14-day guarantee if the colony if kept in the original test tube for all our European species. Why do we do this? We are confident with our colony’s health and our packaging process as well as our care guides, we also believe in our customers and making sure they have a good ant keeping experience.
Live arrival guarantee we ensure the live arrival of the queen only upon delivery contact us within 24 hours of receiving the Queen dead on arrival with a picture of the dead queen and the original workers. DO NOT TRANSFER THE DEAD QUEEN OR WORKERS TO A NEST AS THIS VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY. For our additional 14-day guarantee for European species the Queen and workers must be kept in the original test tube sealed with the cotton and care sheet instructions followed if you want to keep this additional guarantee do not transfer to a nest or your warranty is VOIDED (we recommend you keep the 14-day warranty).
We have no control over the environment outside the test tube and have no influence in the conditions the responsibility once placed outside the test tube within the 14-day period the responsibility is with the buyer. 9 times out of 10 colonies die in the nest due to lack of water access, food, temperature, oxygen or stress due to vibrations or exposure to excess light. If your colony does fail inside a nest contact us, we can advise what went wrong but it is up to you to buy another ant colony, you will succeed but sometimes it does not work the first time. Research is key to success with ant keeping and follow our guides.
