Ant Colonies We Ship to Maine

10 of our 46 ant species can ship to Maine. 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 Maine shakes out.

What we ship to Maine (10)

What we can't ship — and why

36 of our species can't cross the Maine line. USDA-APHIS requires a PPQ 526 permit per species, per destination state; these aren't currently approved for Maine: Trachymyrmex septentrionalis, Pheidole bicarinata, Solenopsis carolinensis, Myrmecocystus mimicus, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, Veromessor pergandei, Camponotus modoc, Myrmecocystus mexicanus, Dorymyrmex bureni, Pseudomyrmex pallidus, Camponotus floridanus, Pheidole morrisii, Solenopsis pergandei, Pogonomyrmex badius, Pheidole dentata, Crematogaster minutissima, Pheidole lamia, Solenopsis xyloni, Pogonomyrmex maricopa, Dorymyrmex insanus, Odontomachus brunneus, Nylanderia arenivaga, Pheidole littoralis, Pheidole metallescens, Solenopsis geminata, Temnothorax pergandei, Forelius pruinosus, Novomessor cockerelli, Colobopsis impressa, Acromyrmex versicolor, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Myrmecocystus navajo, Camponotus decipiens, Camponotus snellingi, Camponotus discolor. You can still read their care guides — and rules change as permits are granted.

Maine asks more patience of an ant keeper than almost anywhere in the East, and patience is the local style. It is the most heavily forested state in the country, and its North Woods are carpenter-ant country. Both Camponotus pennsylvanicus and Camponotus chromaiodes ship to Maine: pennsylvanicus is the black carpenter ant New Englanders know from their own woodpiles and takes a Maine winter in stride, and chromaiodes is a closely related carpenter with the same unhurried habits. A colony of either should get the full diapause the climate implies: several months cold and dormant, longer than Deep South keepers practice, with the queen laying in earnest once it warms. Lasius neoniger, the classic late-summer sidewalk flier, runs the same calendar at smaller scale. Camponotus floridanus and Odontomachus brunneus stay off the Maine list — not because a heated room could not keep them comfortable, but because our approvals for Maine cover the cold-adapted end of the catalog. Choose a species that winters the way your state does, and measure growth in seasons.

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.