Ant Colonies We Ship to North Carolina

29 of our 46 ant species can ship to North Carolina. 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 North Carolina shakes out.

What we ship to North Carolina (29)

What we can't ship — and why

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

Native to North Carolina

Formica neogagates — “A small, fast, unassuming Formica with an enormous range: coast to coast across southern Canada and the northern states, down the Appalachians to North Carolina, north to southern Alaska, and south through Nevada,…”

Solenopsis geminata — “Ranges continuously from North Carolina to Argentina and is highly phenotypically variable.”

North Carolina compresses an unusual amount of climate into one state: spruce-fir on its highest Appalachian peaks, oak-hickory and pine through the Piedmont, sandy barrier-island dunes on the Outer Banks. Let that gradient pick your first colony. Inland, carpenter ants are the natural fit: Camponotus pennsylvanicus nests in dead wood from the mountains through the Piedmont, while Camponotus castaneus prefers well-drained, often sandy soils of open, lower-elevation woodlands. Both need a real cold-season dormancy, so plan on growth in years, not months, wintering colonies at a controlled 40–55°F — a fridge on its warmest setting, a wine cooler, an unheated cellar — rather than local outdoor temperatures. On the coastal plain and sandhills, Dorymyrmex bureni is the beginner pick, still foraging after mountain colonies go quiet. Pogonomyrmex badius shares that sand, but its painful, medically significant sting, seed-based diet, and deep nests make it an advanced choice. Not every southeastern species clears the bar: Odontomachus brunneus is a Deep South trap-jaw ant we cannot ship to North Carolina.

When queens fly in North Carolina

Our analysis of 7,620 alate observations across the Southeast (including North Carolina) 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.