Buy a live Camponotus vicinus carpenter ant colony and start with one of the West's most impressive ant species. This is the orange-and-brown variety — a large, hardy, high-contrast carpenter ant that's beginner-friendly and endlessly rewarding to watch grow. It's our complete, everything-in-one-box ant farm starter kit: your live queen ant and her first workers arrive ready to move into a fully equipped Desktop Ant Farm, so there's nothing else to buy to get started.
Because vicinus is a slow, steady grower, this live ant colony with queen lets you witness the whole story from the very beginning — queen, brood, and her first generation of workers.
Select your options:
Desktop Ant Farm Color:
White
Red
Colony Size:
1 Queen + 1–5 Workers & Brood (Founding Colony)
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS LIVE ANT COLONY KIT
Live Colony:
1 fertile Camponotus vicinus queen (orange & brown variety) + 1–5 workers and brood, active and ready
Live arrival guarantee (recipient must be present)
AntopiaUSA Desktop Ant Farm:
Desktop Farm nest frame (white or red)
Clear acrylic outworld with hardened substrate
3/8" OD clear vinyl tubing
4 test tubes with PVA sponge humidity system (mold-resistant)
Decorative plant
Hardware & Support:
Heat cable for temperature regulation
Fluon escape barrier
90-day carbohydrate and water maintenance pack, pre-loaded
Feeder insects
Feeding tweezers
Free blackout shield with heat cable cutouts
Pipette
Illustrated setup guide
Monday–Friday customer support
ABOUT CAMPONOTUS VICINUS (ORANGE & BROWN CARPENTER ANT)
Camponotus vicinus is a large western carpenter ant native to the western United States. This is the orange-and-brown color variety, recognized by its bold orange-and-brown body and workers that range widely in size. It's one of the best beginner ant colonies for sale: big enough to observe every detail, hardy, and tolerant of the occasional care mistake. Growth is moderate and predictable — a true founding-colony experience.
How to care for Camponotus vicinus: Provide a heat gradient using the included heat cable, keeping one warm spot around 80°F while leaving a cooler area so the ants can choose their comfort zone. Keep the PVA sponge hydrated, offer the carbohydrate feed plus feeder insects, and note that vicinus naturally slows for a cool winter dormancy — normal and healthy for the species.
WHERE WE SHIP LIVE CAMPONOTUS VICINUS
We can only ship Camponotus vicinus to: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Orders placed from states not listed above will be automatically cancelled. A 15% restocking fee will be applied, or at our discretion, a legally shippable substitute species of equal value may be sent in its place.
Buy a live Camponotus vicinus carpenter ant colony and start with one of the West's most impressive ant species. This is the orange-and-brown variety — a large, hardy, high-contrast carpenter ant that's beginner-friendly and endlessly rewarding to watch grow. It's our complete, everything-in-one-box ant farm starter kit: your live queen ant and her first workers arrive ready to move into a fully equipped Desktop Ant Farm, so there's nothing else to buy to get started.
Because vicinus is a slow, steady grower, this live ant colony with queen lets you witness the whole story from the very beginning — queen, brood, and her first generation of workers.
Select your options:
Desktop Ant Farm Color:
White
Red
Colony Size:
1 Queen + 1–5 Workers & Brood (Founding Colony)
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS LIVE ANT COLONY KIT
Live Colony:
1 fertile Camponotus vicinus queen (orange & brown variety) + 1–5 workers and brood, active and ready
Live arrival guarantee (recipient must be present)
AntopiaUSA Desktop Ant Farm:
Desktop Farm nest frame (white or red)
Clear acrylic outworld with hardened substrate
3/8" OD clear vinyl tubing
4 test tubes with PVA sponge humidity system (mold-resistant)
Decorative plant
Hardware & Support:
Heat cable for temperature regulation
Fluon escape barrier
90-day carbohydrate and water maintenance pack, pre-loaded
Feeder insects
Feeding tweezers
Free blackout shield with heat cable cutouts
Pipette
Illustrated setup guide
Monday–Friday customer support
ABOUT CAMPONOTUS VICINUS (ORANGE & BROWN CARPENTER ANT)
Camponotus vicinus is a large western carpenter ant native to the western United States. This is the orange-and-brown color variety, recognized by its bold orange-and-brown body and workers that range widely in size. It's one of the best beginner ant colonies for sale: big enough to observe every detail, hardy, and tolerant of the occasional care mistake. Growth is moderate and predictable — a true founding-colony experience.
How to care for Camponotus vicinus: Provide a heat gradient using the included heat cable, keeping one warm spot around 80°F while leaving a cooler area so the ants can choose their comfort zone. Keep the PVA sponge hydrated, offer the carbohydrate feed plus feeder insects, and note that vicinus naturally slows for a cool winter dormancy — normal and healthy for the species.
WHERE WE SHIP LIVE CAMPONOTUS VICINUS
We can only ship Camponotus vicinus to: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Orders placed from states not listed above will be automatically cancelled. A 15% restocking fee will be applied, or at our discretion, a legally shippable substitute species of equal value may be sent in its place.
