Myrmecocystus mimicus — Sold Out for the 2026 Season

Sold out for the 2026 season. Our mimicus queens are wild-caught seasonally — when the season's catch is gone, it's gone. New queens return summer 2027. Want first pick? Email us to join the waitlist →

Myrmecocystus mimicus — a classic desert honeypot and one of the most approachable in the genus. Famous for its repletes: living larder workers that swell with stored nectar and hang from the nest ceiling like amber beads. Hardy, active, and a perfect introduction to keeping honeypots.

• You'll receive: a fresh-caught, mated queen with brood.
• Founding: Fully claustral — in the wild, queens often team up to found cooperatively (pleometrosis).
• Diet: Sugars and nectar to fuel the repletes, plus insect protein for the brood.
• Coloration: Bicolored — a dark gaster over a lighter body.
• Range: Deserts and grasslands of the southwestern U.S.
• Difficulty: Intermediate — one of the hardier, more forgiving honeypots, and a great first replete species.

New here? Read our Honeypot care guide →

From their chamber to your door — shipped with care by Royal Chamber Ants.

Native range (U.S.): Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado.