Ant Colonies We Ship to Louisiana

29 of our 46 ant species can ship to Louisiana. USDA-APHIS makes live-ant shipping a state-by-state matter — each species needs a PPQ 526 permit for each destination state — so here is exactly how Louisiana shakes out.

What we ship to Louisiana (29)

What we can't ship — and why

17 of our species can't cross the Louisiana line. USDA-APHIS requires a PPQ 526 permit per species, per destination state; these aren't currently approved for Louisiana: Myrmecocystus mimicus, Veromessor pergandei, Camponotus modoc, Myrmecocystus mexicanus, Camponotus floridanus, Pogonomyrmex maricopa, Dorymyrmex insanus, Odontomachus brunneus, Lasius pallitarsis, Pheidole littoralis, Solenopsis geminata, Novomessor cockerelli, Acromyrmex versicolor, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Myrmecocystus navajo, Lasius brevicornis. You can still read their care guides — and rules change as permits are granted.

In Louisiana, keeping starts with the water table. Saturated ground pushes nesting up into dead wood and hollow stems, and several species we ship have exactly that habit. Camponotus pennsylvanicus is a classic dead-wood nester; the acrobat ant Crematogaster cerasi shares the habit; and Pseudomyrmex pallidus lives the way it does in marsh grass, in a slender hollow above the waterline. Winters in the lowland south are brief, with only occasional hard freezes, so warm-climate species like P. pallidus and Pheidole dentata need at most a short, shallow cool-down; many keepers run them warm year-round. The exception is C. pennsylvanicus, a temperate ant that overwinters in true dormancy — give it a real multi-month diapause even here — and C. cerasi appreciates a solid cool rest as well. And keep setups tightly sealed: on the Gulf coast, outdoor ants getting into an unsealed formicarium is a genuine hazard. Two we cannot ship to Louisiana: Solenopsis geminata, the tropical fire ant, and the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus brunneus.

When queens fly in Louisiana

Our analysis of 7,620 alate observations across the Southeast (including Louisiana) found that June, May and July hold 64% of recorded nuptial flights, and about half of every record belongs to a dusk or after-dark flier. Full breakdown in our southeastern nuptial flight study.

Prefer to catch your own queen? Our free Ant Flight Predictor is coming soon — it will forecast nuptial flights near you. Meanwhile, browse every state and the full TrapJaw Labs shop.