If you've ever seen an anthill and imagined what lies beneath its surface, perhaps setting up your own ant farm will make for an amazing experience. Including an ant colony on your own farm will allow you to witness firsthand the ants building tunnels and roads, and going through them as if on a mission. See Step 1 for making an ant farm using simple ingredients you already have at home.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Equipment and the Ants
Step 1. Prepare two glass jars with lids
You will need one large jar and one smaller jar that will fit into the larger jar. Soil and ants will be introduced into the space between the small and large jars. Small jars fill the space in the middle so the ant colony will build a tunnel and lay their eggs near the walls of the big jar so the whole process is easily visible. Without a small jar in the middle, the ants will build a nest deep into the center of the large jar, as they normally do naturally.
- Jars of various sizes would be perfect for this project, you can make your farm as small or as big as you want.
- Use jars without embellishments, printed numbers or letters. Clear and clean glass will give the best view of the ants.
- If you want a flat ant farm, you can look for it at a farm store and buy a narrow aquarium. You can also purchase an ant farm from an online store.
Step 2. Prepare a mixture of soil and sand
Ants will need a loose, moist substrate so they can dig tunnels, the best way is to use the soil they already use as a place to live. Take enough soil to fill the space between your two jars. Use a fork or your fingers to loosen enough soil. Now mix 2 parts soil with 1 part sand - less sand if your soil is sandy enough.
- If you don't plan on picking up ants from a nearby location, and the soil you have doesn't seem suitable, you can buy plant soil and sand from a plant store and mix the two together as your substrate.
- If you order an ant farm set, it should include the correct substrate for that particular ant.
- The substrate should be slightly damp but not soggy. If it's too dry, the ants will dry up; if it gets too wet, they will sink.
Step 3. Find the anthill
There are many types of ants, but most ants nest in the ground. Look for an anthill in a slightly open area of your yard. You will know an anthill by looking at the pile of dirt that forms like a mountain, with a small entrance hole at the top.
- Following ants is also a great way to find ant nests. If you see a group of ants walking, follow them to the nest.
- Pay attention to any ant nests you find, making sure you don't come across fire ants or other types of biting ants. Brown field ants are usually suitable. If you want something even more secure, you can order ants online along with ant breeding sets.
Step 4. Take some ants
Once you see a colony of ants, take a jar with a few holes in the lid (not the jar you would be breeding ants for) along with a large spoon, take a few ants and put them in the jar. 20 - 25 ants are enough to start an ant farm. There are a few things you need to know:
- Ants probably won't breed unless you introduce a queen ant into your ant farm. The queen of the ant colony lays all the eggs, a group of worker ants - which are usually on the surface of the anthill - are usually sterile. Therefore, if you want ants to have eggs, you need to have a queen ant - which is quite complicated to obtain, and will destroy a natural ant colony.
- If you really want to see the reproductive cycle of ants, it's better to order an ant farm set that includes a queen ant. That way, you don't have to dig into an anthill to find a queen ant.
- If you set up a farm without a queen ant, the ants will probably die in 3-4 weeks, that's their natural lifespan.
Part 2 of 3: Setting Up Your Farm
Step 1. Put the lid on the small jar and put it in the big jar
To keep the small jars in the center of the larger jars, you can apply glue or duct tape to the bottom before placing them in the larger jars. Make sure the lid is turned perfectly, because you don't want any ants to fall into it.
Step 2. Fill the remaining space in a large jar with substrate
Use a funnel to neatly fill the space with soil, or use a spoon. The soil should not be too dense; make sure the condition is loose, so the ants can move everywhere. Leave about 2.5 cm of free space at the top of the jar.
- You have now created a layer of soil that will serve as a habitat for the ants.
- The empty space at the top will keep the ants from climbing out of the jar when you need to open the lid.
Step 3. Place the ants in the jar and close the jar
Carefully put the ants in the jar, making sure they are all on the ground you prepared. Close the jar and use an awl or sharp knife to make a small hole, allowing oxygen to enter for the ants.
- Don't make the hole too big, because the ants can run away and build their nests elsewhere.
- Don't cover it with a cloth, as ants can chew holes in the cloth to get out.
Part 3 of 3: Keeping an Ant Farm
Step 1. Give the ants food and moisture
To keep your ants happy, you can feed them every few days with a few drops of honey, jam or pieces of fruit - ants love sugar! And don't overdo it because you will cause mold to grow in your ant farm. Ants get most of the moisture they need from food, but if the soil and sand look dry, moisten a cotton swab with water and place it in a jar for a few days.
- Do not give meat or other cooked food. This will attract other insects into your ant farm.
- Do not pour water into the jar. If it is too wet, the ants can drown.
Step 2. Close the jar when you are not watching the ants
Ants make tunnels at night, in the dark. To mimic the state of its natural environment, cover the jar with a black cloth or cardboard when you're not watching it. If you forget to do this, the ants will get stressed and become less active. They will also tend to stay away from the glass and spend as much time as possible in the center of the jar.
Step 3. Do not shake the jar
Ants are fragile creatures, and shaking the jars or handling them roughly can cause them to die when the tunnel falls on them. Handle your ant farm with care.
Step 4. Keep the farm in a warm room
Place in a room where the temperature is stable. Do not place it in direct sunlight, as this can cause the glass to overheat for the ants.
Tips
- When you're looking for ants, to keep them from getting too aggressive when you pick up the queen ant, switch to sugar and water, but not too much!
- Red ants are usually very aggressive, and black ants are usually more passive.
- You can also plant grass seeds on top for added effect. Keep the grass getting water, but don't drown the ants under it.
- Don't mess with the queen ant, other ants will bite you.
- Ants should be kept like cats and dogs. Watch them!
- Cardboard in toilet paper makes a good tube; or you can use a used card.
- If you're away for a while, find someone who can look after your farm so the ants don't die of drought or starvation while you're away.
- Don't drop the jar in the house!!
- If you are using a round fish tank, you can use balloons in cardboard tubes. To make it last longer, you can fill the balloon with a hardening material such as plaster, clay or even cement if you don't mind; anything hard can be used. To fill the balloon, have a bottle next to you. Then inflate your balloon and (while keeping the air in the balloon) pull the lip of the balloon all the way to the end of the bottle, this can be difficult to do, ask someone to help you. You can then put the contents (hardener) from the bottle into the balloon letting some air in the balloon, your substrate may need a dry balloon. Practice with water before trying with hardener.
- For more info on how to catch ants, read this article
Warning
- If you decide to give dead insects to ants, make sure they are not poisonous, as they can injure or even kill your ant colony.
- Be careful with ant bites. You can use gloves. To treat skin bitten by ants, use a pharmacy-approved calamine lotion or itching cream. Ask the pharmacist.
- All ants can bite you, but rarely, so don't be afraid, but if you have red ants they can bite AND get very sick, so be careful. Use gloves.
- Don't close the ant farm tightly - the ants can suffocate. If you need to close it, use a tissue and tie it with rubber and make a small hole with an earring or safety pin. Or use a fine wire mesh.
- DO NOT mix ants from two colonies, they will fight to the death and that is very cruel to ants. So when you catch them make sure you catch from only one nest.
- Avoid ants that are very aggressive to humans and whose bites are painful or dangerous.
