Few people have the courage to deal with bullet ants, which are known for hunting abilities and deadly stings. However, some show interest in keeping them as pets as they are curious to explore the nature and behavior of these mysterious giant ants.
Where Can I Buy Bullet Ants? You can buy bullet ants from authorized private sellers dealing in different ant species. In addition, some online sellers are also available, but you have to check their reliability before buying ants for your farm. Its average cost is $30 to $40 for worker ants and queen ants. Furthermore, buying bullet ants from a reliable source is legal, but you have to ensure your safety as their stings are deadly and feel like a bullet.
It is not considered suitable to bring the deadly bullet ants to your home as they risk the safety of house members, neighbors, and even the whole community.
You have to learn about the handling methods, behavior, and diet of the species before getting them inside the home because you have to face serious consequences in case of any negligence.
Where to buy bullet ants?
Many local sellers are dealing with different species of ants because a few people show interest in buying these tiny creatures instead of catching them from the garden.
You can look for the distributors in your area by searching for nearby private sellers through search engines interested in providing these insects to local communities.
It is considered illegal to deal with ants within America, as it poses a threat to the survival of native species, but a few local sellers are present everywhere that are part of black markets.
However, some sellers are legally importing and exporting any species of these insects, as they have a permit to buy and sell these ants.
Different social media platforms and fake distributors provide colonies of these insects, but most are not considered reliable and belong to black markets.
It is better to determine their authenticity to make your purchase legal before confirming your order and not to become a fool by the fake distributors.
So, you can purchase bullet ant workers and queens from private selling companies and online sellers providing detailed information about the product and adding a label on the tube.
What is the average cost of bullet ants?
Every distributor sells ants’ colonies at different prices, depending on their brand identity and methods for shipping if you have ordered a colony through online platforms.
You can get one worker from bullet ant colony for almost $15 to $18, and a pack of 2 can cost you around $30 to $35 when buying from Etsy.
Moreover, the cost of the queen is a little bit more than that of workers, as these are considered royal members of the colony. You can buy a queen at almost $25.
Its price increases to almost $45 to $49 when you get it inside a shadow box for added safety. Its sting is dangerous for non-native people because they cannot tolerate the pain.
Furthermore, the shadow box improves the presentation of your pets and helps deliver them safely without any risk of escape from the container.
Why would you buy bullet ants?
Many people are fond of keeping ants as pets, particularly the rare ones, as it gives a sense of satisfaction to have a rare species at your home.
Most probably, you have heard about the deadly stings and bigger bodies of this insect species that seem fascinating to most buyers.
These are raised to test the strength and power of a man in an Amazonian village, where all the young adults have to pass the bullet test.
A pair of woven gloves containing many of these giant ants is designed by the locals belonging to a particular tribe.
Adults of the tribe have to put their hands inside the gloves almost 20 times to be known as true men or warriors.
They have to keep their hands inside for almost 10 minutes even after terrible pain due to continuous stinging by angry insects.
So, the Amazonians collect it from the rainforests and grow them as pets for bullet tests. However, some locals want to get colonies of these insects due to the fame of this particular species.
How do you identify a bullet ant?
It is essential to know the characteristics of species to avoid being fooled by the distributors because a few fake sellers can give you any other species with a label of bullet ants.
Paraponera clavata appear in deep red and black colors and are larger than other species that can reach almost 0.8 to 1.3 inches in length.
Moreover, they have a bigger stinger for injecting deadly poison inside bodies. It is known for its painful stings that can cause a burning sensation for the next 24 hours.
You can also distinguish it from other species by closely examining its thorax region, having more hair than others. They have larger and stronger mandibles used for biting prey’s bodies.
The workers are usually smaller than queens, like all other colonies, and are almost 0.8 to 1 inches long, while queens are around 1 to 1.3 inches long.
Is it safe and legal to buy bullet ants?
Export and import of bullet ants raise safety concerns among people because these are deadly creatures that can sting hard on the body.
It feels like a bullet entering skin tissues when this insect injects stingers deep into the body. It will remain non-aggressive until it feels a threat to its territory and survival.
Specific handling practices are required to take them home if you have bought them directly from the seller’s store. In addition, it becomes challenging to deal with these ants if they escape from the container.
Moreover, you have to handle it carefully to avoid undesired stings on your body. Furthermore, it is legal to buy them only if you are getting them from authorized distributors.
You have to face serious issues in case your illegally purchased colony of these giant insects gets caught by someone. So, it is better to make your purchase legal and look for permitted sellers.
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