A single bright red queen stumbles into a black nest filled with workers just as dark. It runs for the brood pile, grabs an egg, and then pretends to die.
At first, the workers are confused. Who is she? What's she here for? At some point, they accept her into the colony. That moment is where the takeover begins. The queen will lay her eggs, and the workers will take care of them as their own. Eventually, she takes over as the dominant queen, and the dark brown workers are replaced with bright specks of red.
Check out our care sheet on Tennessee Collared Ants here
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis, or the Tennessee Thread-Waisted Ant, is a parasitic species of Aphaenogaster and the only ten-I-see. This species has bright red queens which are smaller than the equally colourful workers. With colonies of several thousand workers, these ants create colonies much larger than their host species, Aphaenogaster rudis and picea. These queens also accept fully hardened host workers, and are probably the easiest parasite to keep. They do best under 30-50% humidity and 24-27 degrees Celsius, with a substrate as they have no social stomach and will need something to soak up liquids
Shipping Conditions
Hey! This is a live product. If you are purchasing ants during the winter months, please remember to purchase the "Winter Shipping (Live Guarantee) (72 hour heat pack + 1 inch foam cushion)" in order to guarantee the order.
Live Guarantee Policy
If live insects arrive cold or flooded please handle with care. Many of these colonies typically pop back up within a few hours. All DOA claims must be made within 24 hours after receiving your insects. Any order with a unacceptable mortality rate, but with a viable colony (e.g. less workers than in the range advertised, less queens or workers than advertised) can be compensated with store credit equal to the loss of value in the shipment, including shipping and extra packaging. Any order with DOAs, but which do not fall out of the initially advertised/promised range of workers will NOT be compensated.
DOA claims which are a total loss will be re-shipped 1 more time FREE of charge with photographic evidence. Orders where shipping is more than 30% of the total value of the order will be refunded proportionally to the loss of value in the shipment, INCLUDING test tube inserts which are purchased with the colony.
We guarantee live arrival on Xpresspost and priority shipments, as well as pickup and local delivery. Only orders that are accepted on the first delivery attempt will be eligible for DOA credit, no exceptions.
Live guarantee is VOID if you choose expedited shipping. In the winter, it is VOID if no extra packing is purchased. Fertility guarantee claims or live guarantee claims made within the month after arrival must be made with a timestamped photo of BOTH the queen alive upon arrival AND a timestamped photo of the dead specimens.
Expedited shipping can be a budget friendly method but does not always have the best results. If your order is going to be in transit more than 3 business days please do not choose this method or choose at your own risk.
DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO HOLD BACK SHIPMENTS IF WE DECIDE ITS TOO COLD TO SHIP.
Please note that orders to outdoor community mail boxes, or other outdoor locations void our live guarantee. If your address consists of an outdoor mail box or location, please make arrangements to have the order delivered to a friends house, or to your place of employment.
Just a warning, we will NOT ship live ants into the US unless the receiver has a permit. If such an order is made, it will be refunded, minus a 10% processing fee and restocking fee
This product is from Canada Ant Colony. The full catalogue, including all variants, can be found at https://canada-ant-colony.com