Ant queens for beginners

[LukeLovesAnts]

Ok so I’m new to ant keeping and want to get a queen. I am not sure what to get, but I would like it if the ants could not climb glass and stayed a small colony size, about 300 or under. My dream colony is odontomachis but I live in Tennessee and none are sold here. If you know where I can get an odontomachis queen or any other queens that match my description than please tell me. Thankyou!

[BJLowndes]

Hello,

Some websites from the region of the ants you want could deliver to your location, so try to find an online store that would sell these. There is also the GAN if you ever need a queen

[antnest8]

usually it is pretty easy to find queens outside. especially camponotus, they are huge and when they fly they are easy to spot even at 50 feet away. just try looking during spring. Since there size they have some trouble climbing up smooth surfaces but just a bit of dry baby powder will take care of that. as for Odontomachis according to Antmaps they are not native to Tennessee. Since it is illegal to transport live queens across borders (unless you have a certain permit) I would think that you would have a hard time getting them. also ants that are shipped usually have a hard time because the stress. I hate being the bearer of bad news like this but even though it seems all the cool ants are in other places just remember that the ants in your area can be just as cool.