Formica oreas (Oreo Mound Ant)

Formica oreas, affectionately known as "oreos", are one of the coolest ants in Canada. They are large ants in large colonies, and build mounds of up to 10 feet wide (depending on species, many of them stop at around 2-3 feet wide). These mounds are made to regulate temperature and often thatched with local grasses and pine needles.

These ants are the largest aggressive species we have, and after a few years of testing, we've concluded they do rather poorly in test tubes. At our facility, all the colonies are kept in formicarium from the moment they're introduced to workers from their mother colonies. This ensures that the colony remains stable and keeps success rates high for founding. Hence, we suggest buying a colony directly in a nest already. They are typically shipped in our larger "Itsa" Ant Farms, shown here.

Remarkably, many of these species line their nests with tree resins, which when mixed with the Formic acid they secrete, creates an antibiotic to protect them disease.

Formica oreas are one of the largest variety of Formica which live in Canada. These are some of the largest of Formica with queens from 10-13 mm and workers from 6-8 mm. Mature colonies will accept new queens, becoming polygynous and allowing them to grow extremely large colonies up to 100,000 workers in 10+ years. They prefer 22-26 Celsius and like around 50% humidity, though there is slight variation across species. They're more skittish than most ants, and so are of medium difficulty to start, but are extremely enthusiastic and fast growing once they break 50 workers. In the wild, Formica oreas are the most dominant ants in their area, hunting down other species and consuming large amounts of biomass. We get many of these each year, though the numbers are variable. Note that this species requires good ventilation, or their formic acid spray may become an issue.

This product includes Formica planipilis, Formica obscuriventris, Formica prociliata, Formica dakotensis, Formica integra, Formica fossaceps, and several other Formica species in the rufa-group,

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

Thank you to Jerry from Insect Supplies Canada for letting us use his photos!