When it comes to ants, we think of small black insects that sometimes fly and love sugar. But this is only a superficial idea of these amazing living creatures.
The article will not talk about a couple of annoying bugs, but about creating a full-fledged formicarium with your own hands.
Types of ants there are different ones. But no matter what species is chosen for breeding, the same rules for creating a cozy anthill apply to everyone. Where to start?
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How to make a formicarium for ants?
As you can see from the photo, this is a special aquarium, an ant farm. They happen different sizes, formats, with different contents. Can be used as a primer sand. The ants will use it to build nests, create passages and an arena.
Perfect fit finely sifted natural sand. You should stop using garden soil, as it contains various bacteria and chemicals. It is acceptable to use plaster. It is poured into a special mold, forming passages and holes. After hardening, the formicarium will be ready.
The third option is to use special gel. Insects will use the gel both for construction and as food.
Features of keeping domestic ants
An important component happy life ants is moisture. Its level varies from 80 to 90 percent.
Lack of moisture is tantamount to the death of the entire anthill. If there is excess moisture, fungus and mold can appear, which is also destructive. If perspiration appears on the walls of the formicarium, this is a sure sign that you need to stop moisturizing for a while.
The required level of humidity is determined practically.
For drinking You can put a small saucer or a tin bottle cap in the anthill. The ants will use this water to humidify their home and build new tunnels. It is important to remember that only filtered water can be given to ants.
In the vast majority of cases, room temperature is suitable for ants, about 25 degrees Celsius. If the room is cool, this will slow down the development of the ant farm. In such cases, it is advisable to use special lamps or heating pads. A terrarium thermometer will help you track the correct temperature level.
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Ants feel best when moderate lighting. It is advisable to darken not only the chambers, but also the entire formicarium.
Insects will get used to open lighting, and quite quickly, but for comfortable life It's better to leave them in the shade. Especially harmful effects sunlight affects the larvae. Adults are also not recommended to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a long time.
If for some reason the owner needs lighting for a formicarium at home, experts recommend using moon-colored lamp. Such a lamp will be able to warm ants in a cool room and will not cause them stress.
What to feed the ants?
Contrary to popular belief, sugar is not the best food for ants. Protein source Worms and cockroaches may appear. To provide carbohydrates, make honey water, diluting 1:1. It is important to remember that such water can ferment quite quickly, and this is harmful to insects. As solid food suitable for ants: pieces of vegetables and fruits, bread crumbs, dead insects and mixtures for parrots.
Like many living things, ants hibernate. Insects become inactive, refuse proteins, and rarely leave their nests. During this period, you should change your approach to caring for the formicarium with your own hands. The temperature must be maintained between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius. The aquarium can, for example, be placed in the refrigerator.
Periodically, but not so often, you need to moisten the soil. Hibernation lasts 1-2 months. After this period, you need to bring the formicarium into the heat again and gradually warm it up to the usual temperature. The warming process may take up to 7 days.
Here's how to do it ant farm with your own hands. At proper care, the owner can get a very interesting and developed ant world. It is interesting to watch him, he is interesting to both children and adults.
Have you ever observed the life of ants? This extraordinary world with its own orders, laws, relationships. In order not to go to the forest to an anthill, we suggest you create your own ant farm. By placing small inhabitants in it, you will be able to watch how paths and tunnels are built, and how important these little hardworking creatures scurry back and forth, as if they were carrying out someone’s task. We will tell you how to make an ant farm with your own hands in this article.
What will you need for your farm?
You need two jars with lids - one larger, the other smaller (so that the second can fit inside the first). Ants and soil will be placed in the space between the small and large containers. A smaller jar is needed to leave space in the center.
The ants will be able to lay eggs at the top edge and build tunnels, and you will be able to watch this process. Airtight containers are great for “construction”. You can create with their help right size farms. Please note that the jars should not have any patterns, cracks, scratches, etc. If you want your ant farm (with ants) to be flat, buy a small narrow aquarium from your local pet store.
What types of ant farms are there?
An ant farm can be of several types. The differences lie in the composition of the filler. The most common ones are:
- soil-sandy;
- gypsum;
- gel.
Let's look at each of these types in more detail.
Soil-sand farm
First you should prepare a mixture of sand and soil. Ants require a moist environment. This will allow little residents to dig tunnels and paths. If you collect ants in your dacha or yard, use the same soil so that when they move into new home, found themselves in their usual habitat. You will need enough earth to fill the space in the jar. Loosen it well.
Mix two parts soil with one part sand. You can buy fertilized soil and sand from the gardening department and mix them well. If you buy special ants from a farm at a pet store, then the necessary mixture is included with them.
Looking for an anthill
Now you need to find “tenants” for your farm. The easiest way to find ants is outside. You will not have any difficulties with this, especially if you involve your child in this process. Anthills small sizes often found in courtyards. You can find them if you follow where the little workers are rushing with their finds. When going to collect ants, take gloves, a jar with a tight lid and a scoop.
Make several holes in the lid using a needle (for air access). They must be very small so that insects cannot get out. Add some honey or jam to the bottom of the jar. In this case, the ants will gather around the sweet treat and will not try to get out. Very carefully dig up the inhabitants of the anthill and move them to a jar.
Try to find the queen. You will recognize her immediately - she is much larger than the rest of the inhabitants of the anthill. An ant farm, which is populated only by working insects that live on the surface, will last no more than four weeks. This is how long these insects live in natural conditions. which is ready to lay eggs, can be found near anthills in early autumn, immediately after mating has occurred between males and females. In addition, the queen can be purchased from professional breeders. Your ant farm can accommodate 30-40 insects to start with.
Building a farm
Now you can start building the farm. Cover the smaller jar with a lid and place it in the larger one. To make it stand in the center, you can glue it to the bottom with glue. Fill up with soil. Make sure the lid is closed tightly. Fill the space between the jars with soil and sand mixture. This composition should not be compacted tightly - ants will not be able to move inside.
The soil should not reach about 1.5 cm from the top of the jar. This is necessary so that insects cannot escape when you open the lid. Place the ants in a jar and close it. Do this very carefully. Use a needle to make holes in the lid for air.
Farm care
We figured out how to make an ant farm. Now you need to find out how to care for it.
- It is necessary to regularly moisten the soil and feed the inhabitants of the farm. Every 3-4 days, throw small pieces of fresh fruit and a few drops of jam or honey into a jar - ants have a sweet tooth, they love sugar very much.
- Ants should not be fed meat or any other cooked foods. Otherwise, your ant farm will attract unwanted insects.
- When you are not observing insects, cover the jar with a light, dark cloth. The fact is that ants dig their tunnels at night, in complete darkness. If this is not done, the insects will be in a constant state of stress and may lose activity.
- Ants are fragile creatures, rough handling can kill them due to tunnel collapse. Therefore, the jar should not be shaken.
- The ant farm (you see the photo in this article) should be located in warm room(at constant temperature.
- Do not allow straight lines to enter the farm sun rays. The walls of the jar may heat up and the ants will die.
Truss with gel filler
The gel ant farm is now sold in stores as a complete set. Of course, such a farm does not include its inhabitants. They must be purchased separately or collected in the yard or in the forest. You can make such a house for ants with your own hands. We assure you that it will be interesting not only for children, but also for adult naturalists to watch how insects dig tunnels, pulling pieces of gel to the surface.
For this you will need:
- flat container with a lid and transparent walls;
- gelatin.
Preparing the gel
Three sachets of gelatin (15 g each) pour 0.5 l hot water, stir well until the gelatin is completely dissolved. After this, add another 0.5 liters of water. Ready composition pour into a container and place it in the refrigerator. When it hardens, take it out and wait until the gel mass reaches room temperature.
Aquarium gel can be bought ready-made in the store, but it’s more interesting to make it yourself. You should know that such a filler for an ant house is not only a habitat, but also food. As soon as you make a small depression in the gel and place ants in it, they will immediately begin to “eat away” their passages and build tunnels. Let us remind you once again that ants living on a gel farm do not need to be fed or watered. The gel is a source of moisture and food for them.
Gypsum ant farm
Such a formicarium (also called an ant farm) is attractive because it is completely open to observation of insects.
To create it you will need a transparent container. We dilute the plaster to the consistency of sour cream. Pour the resulting composition into a container, having previously placed a regular plastic tube in it (at the side). It should reach the bottom of the container. This is necessary in order to later add water to the formicarium, which will maintain the humidity level.
After pouring the composition, the workpiece sets very quickly, but dries completely in about a week. On the third or fourth day, remove it from the mold. If it does not come out easily, place it in hot (but not boiling) water for thirty seconds. After this, the workpiece will easily come out of the mold.
Now it’s time to show your design skills, that is, “draw” “rooms and corridors” on the blank. At this time, the composition is still damp, so you can easily scratch out any tunnels on it - it depends on your imagination. Although amateurs who already have an ant farm recommend studying the structure of a real anthill so that the passages are as close as possible to natural ones.
The two entrances for the residents of the formicarium can be drilled using a drill. Now take any handy tool screwdriver, etc.) and start making tunnels according to your drawing applied to the workpiece, choosing plaster from them. Do this carefully so that the composition, which has not yet completely dried, does not crumble.
Several depressions should be made at the bottom of the workpiece to better distribute water and moisturize the formicarium. They need to be connected by a small channel to a cocktail tube. Such recesses significantly reduce the weight of the formicarium. Don't forget to make ventilation holes in the top cover and sides. For this you can use a 0.5 mm drill.
Your farm is almost ready. All that remains is to dry it well and place it in a container. Here again you may encounter a problem - the dried workpiece will not want to go back into the mold. Don't be discouraged, but again place it in hot water for 30 seconds and it will easily enter the container.
All that remains is to find ants for the formicarium. There are many types of them, so before purchasing, it is advisable to look through special literature to select the most unpretentious one. After settling the farm, you will be able to study the life of these insects.
As you can see, making an ant farm with your own hands is not difficult at all from any material. In conclusion, I would like to give some tips that will be useful to you.
- You can feed ants dead insects, but only if you are sure they are not poisonous.
- Plant one type of insect in your farm. The two colonies will not get along together; they may fight to the death. Therefore, even if you catch ants yourself, try to collect them from one anthill.
- All ants bite. Some - less often, others - more often. For example, they bite and sting very painfully. Therefore, use gloves.
If you decide to make ants your pets, then you are very unusual person, because keeping these small insects at home is not at all easy. Their home cannot be an ordinary bank; they will have to work hard and make the house according to all the rules. You will learn how to properly build an ant farm, or formicarium, after reading our article.
How and where to choose the right ants
The first step is to select insects to keep. This can be done in two ways:
- Make a purchase in pet stores (usually online stores). There you will be additionally offered full list materials necessary to create a comfortable ant home. This option, of course, is very convenient, but there are also disadvantages - high cost and the risk of ants dying during transportation, especially if the store is located in another city. In addition, in most cases in such places ants are sold without a queen, which is responsible for reproduction. This means that your farm will last about two months until all its inhabitants die.
- Find an anthill in a park, garden or forest and recruit pets yourself. You can even get the soil they are used to. But ants caught in this way will also not be able to reproduce. Therefore, it is best to find an anthill during the mating flight and catch the queen. Such an anthill is easy to notice: these insects have wings and accumulate en masse on the surface in order to fly away to create new colonies. By placing the queen in a formicarium, after some time you will receive a full-fledged colony. The main thing is to wait until the larvae mature, the farm will gradually fill with ants and begin to live its own life.
Important! You should not destroy the anthill in search of the queen; by doing this you will not only harm nature, but also doom this colony to extinction: only the queen bears offspring. In addition, after the creation of a new colony, the queen’s wings disappear, and given the huge horde of insects, it will be quite difficult to distinguish her.
Preparatory stage
When you have decided where to get the ant family, start preparing their home. This is very important stage, since, in addition to providing insects with everything necessary for their life, it is necessary to ensure the complete tightness of the formicarium. Otherwise, the pets will crawl throughout the house. 
The first step is to prepare a container into which the filler will later be placed to ensure vital functions. According to experienced specialists, best option- these are two glasses that are fastened together by a frame, and the filler is poured between them. Making such a container will require a little time and some skills.
How to build a formicarium
Now let's proceed directly to the construction of the farm. I must say that this is very interesting and exciting process, where you can apply your creativity. Below are the most commonly used models of ant houses.
Important! Before starting work, you need to take a closer look at the life of ants. Information can be gleaned from books, found on the Internet, or simply asked by experts on keeping these insects at home. This knowledge is important for achieving success in this business!
Soil-sandy
To make this housing option, you need to select two plastic jars with tight lids (you can also use glass containers). Their size should be such that one fits freely into the other and there is still some free space left. 
Next, do the following:
- In a smaller jar, close the lid tightly and place in a larger container;
- pour a soil-sand mixture in a 2:1 ratio between the jars;
- take a small stick, make a depression in the filler, place the ants there and the work will begin to boil;
- close the outer jar with a lid, but first make small holes in it for ventilation;
- very soon the insects will dig tunnels for themselves, and you will be able to observe their life;
- food for ants is placed on the lid of the inner jar.
Important! Do not use paper or fabric as covers; ants can easily gnaw through such materials and spread throughout the house.
With gel filler
This type of formicarium is very convenient, since the gel is universal material, in which you can dig tunnels, raise offspring, and even use them as food. Pet stores sell a ready-made gel composition made from seaweed. It is made colored (usually blue) and transparent. But you can make the gel with your own hands.
DIY gel
To do this, take:
- food gelatin (15 gram package) – 3 pcs.;
- hot water – 1 l;
- flat transparent plastic container with lid.
Ants in a farm with gel
Insects feel great in the gel farm: they dig tunnels, feed, and so on. This is perhaps the best formicarium option for busy people. His main feature is that ants do not need anything to drink or eat; their source is the gel.
And when the gel runs out, just add a new portion. Such manipulations can be carried out as many times as desired.
Did you know? Ants engage in animal husbandry by raising aphids, which provide them with sweet nectar. Just imagine a herd of aphids grazing peacefully under the supervision of ant guards!
Plaster
To make this type of formicarium, you will have to tinker, but this is where you can show your creativity and decorate the ant farm to your taste.
You will need the following materials and tools:
- a piece of aerated concrete;
- a piece of glass;
- thin flexible tubes (3 pcs.);
- finishing putty;
- transparent construction silicone;
- strong knife;
- sandpaper;
- acrylic paint;
- pieces of transparent plastic (can be cut from a plastic drinking bottle);
- piece durable plastic for making a lid.
Once you have prepared everything you need, you can begin the manufacturing process. Our step-by-step instructions will help you with this:
- On a piece of aerated concrete of the selected size with a simple pencil draw a sketch of future chambers and tunnels, and then use a knife to cut out indentations approximately 1.5 cm deep in their place.
- On back side we make three small round recesses and cut narrow channels from them to the top of the future formicarium. This is a preparation for moisturizing. Now lay the tubes along the channels, and round holes cover with clear plastic using putty as glue.
- Make holes for ventilation on the narrow side surfaces, and cut two holes on the top that will be connected to a system of chambers and tunnels (these will be exits for ants in the future).
- Carefully coat the entire surface with putty, close the tubes well to moisturize. After the putty has dried, sand the surface well with sandpaper and paint.
- On the top edge, create an arena for the ants to come to the surface, where there will be a drinking bowl and a feeder, for which you can use small pebbles or other natural materials.
- Make an upper glass aquarium where the formicarium will be placed. To do this, you need to cut the glass to the size of a piece of aerated concrete: four side ones, which will be 10-15 cm higher, and the bottom. Then you need to cut holes in the narrow side surfaces where you made ventilation holes in the aerated concrete. The last step will be gluing the glass blanks together using silicone.
- Now place the formicarium inside the aquarium and start making the lid. You can make it at your own discretion, the main thing is that it closes tightly and has ventilation holes.
Care
Caring for ants does not cause much trouble, because the ant colony is a self-regulating system.
Did you know?These amazing insects refer to oldest species on Earth. The most interesting thing is that ants now look exactly the same as they did a hundred million years ago!
The main thing in this matter is to follow fairly simple rules:
- use sweet compounds or specialized feeds as food (except for keeping in a gel farm);
- don't forget about hydration soil mixture, for which every week place a wet cotton swab on the lid and change it when it dries completely (for a gel farm this is not necessary);
- the temperature in the room where the formicarium is located should not fall below +15 degrees Celsius;
- don't get hit sunlight to the ant house, because they love the dark;
- be sure to remove dead individuals using cotton pad, this will help avoid illness.
Warnings
You should also know what not to do when using formicarium:
- close the lid tightly, insects need air to breathe;
- the holes in the lid for ventilation should be of such a size that pets cannot escape from you;
- do not allow strong cooling, otherwise you will be in sleep mode;
- ants are contraindicated in extreme heat, which will lead to the death of insects;
- do not shake or drop the formicaria;
- do not pour water, the ants cannot swim and will simply die.
In conclusion, let’s say that by creating a formicarium with your own hands, you will make a unique specimen, thanks to which you will be able to observe the life of your unusual pets.
Sometimes a person becomes very interested in learning how hierarchical insects such as bees and ants live, as well as others: termites, wasps, and so on. An interest in such types of insects can arise at any age. And, in order to satisfy his interest, a person begins to read a lot or watch films or watch these insects, but only greatly regrets that he does not see the entire life of an insect colony. In such cases, if a person is very interested in learning how ants live in natural conditions and seeing what it all looks like, from the inside he can make his own anthill or, as they call it now, start an ant farm.
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| incubator. |
The first thing you should start with is making an ant incubator. The incubator is made either from a test tube or from a syringe. Half of the container that you have chosen for the incubator (test tube, syringe) is filled with water and covered with cotton wool. Now the last and most important step is to add the queen ant to the incubator. To do this, you need to catch her, this can be done either after summer or simply by pure chance by finding the queen in the forest or in a clearing, and generally in the area where ants live. After the queen is placed in the incubator for a week, she will lay eggs, after which she needs to be fed. The queen eats what ordinary ants also eat, but at this point in her life it is better to feed her with the food in which large volume contains protein. These could be small larvae, cockroaches, bloodworms or moths. You should not put a lot of food into the incubator, as it quickly deteriorates and can lead to the death of the incubator's inhabitants. You can keep a family in an incubator to the very limit, gradually expanding the incubator with the help of tubes with an arena and a formicarium.
But sooner or later, the family still needs to be moved to a formicarium; for this, a transparent container, either plastic or glass, is taken and the natural habitat of ants is imitated in it using filler.
Types of formicaria
1. The first type of formicarium is made using gypsum and alabaster with natural chambers and passages imitating an anthill. Chambers and passages are either carved or imprinted by pouring plaster and alabaster.
2. The second type of formicaria is ground. Soil such as sand and graphite are ideal for ants and anthills because they are their natural habitats. The only inconvenience of such a farm is limited to visual observation of ants. (first picture)
3. The third type of formicarium is helium. I want to say right away that many who keep ants consider it the least suitable for keeping ants, since it is impossible to fully feed, water and clean the formicarium in it, and according to those who kept ants in the gel, sooner or later the death of the family occurs. But who knows, maybe everything will be different for you. You can make the gel at home from gelatin or by purchasing a special gel in the store. It should be taken into account that despite the fact that sellers claim and it is written on the packaging of such a gel that it is not necessary to feed the ants, this is not true. Yes, the gel is capable of supporting ants for some time, but they require protein food and vitamins, which the gel cannot fully provide. Therefore, it is better to feed the family with small insect larvae, pollen, sugar or honey syrup.
4. The fourth type of formicarium is a combined formicarium - it is usually made using several containers connected by tubes.
5. The fifth type of formicaria is considered to be those anthills that are made of rubber and other polymeric substances, but in most cases such formicaria are toxic to ants and lead to the death of families.
In conclusion, I would like to highlight three basic rules and conditions that are necessary for keeping ants:
1. First an important condition Maintaining an ant farm requires good ventilation.
2. The second formicarium needs to be moistened and watered by the ants, this is done using special tubules through which water must be released once every two days, it is also necessary to place a test tube with water in the formicarium and cover it with cotton wool, then the ants themselves will be able to drink and partially wet their home.
3. The family needs to provide fresh food and clean the feeder.
Before starting a colony of ants, collect detailed information and you will be able to make your own ant farm. Well, if for some reason you decide to start an ant farm, you can wait until spring to release your colony into nature.
As children, many of us dreamed of seeing how an anthill lives inside. Some even tore up anthills out of curiosity. After all, those insects that we see on the surface make up only 10% of the total number of inhabitants of the ant house. Most of them are hidden from us underground. And in order to get acquainted with the fascinating world of smart and hardworking insects, you can purchase an ant farm.
An ant farm is a home anthill, which is a container filled with a special gel, sand or other filler. In it you can easily observe everything that happens inside the ant family.
Scientifically, an ant farm is called a “formicarium”. For Russian market So far this product is quite exotic. But gradually formicaria are gaining well-deserved popularity.
An ant colony is like an exotic pet. There are no special problems in its maintenance, and observing the inhabitants of the anthill is a very exciting activity. At the same time, you get the opportunity to see the development of the colony from the very beginning.
IN lately Formicariums began to be purchased for offices. Some might want to use it on their desk, since farms are compact and don’t take up much space. And someone buys large farms for the hall or for the boss’s office.
Many people donate ant farms as original gift. Ants are social insects, so you can watch them for hours, they are constantly doing something and interacting with each other.
Children will simply love the ant farm! They are interested in what happens inside the anthill and how these insects develop. They have the opportunity to grow a huge family from a small colony of 20–25 ants. The formicarium also allows children to get to know nature better and, at least for a while, take their mind off gadgets. While looking after the ants, they learn a lot about the fascinating world of these insects, which have been living on our planet for several million years. Yes, and for adults this observation - the best remedy disconnect from everyday worries for at least an hour and let your body relax.
Inhabitants of the formicarium
There are a huge number of species of ants, completely different from each other. There is, for example, something like this amazing view, like Amazon ants that rob the anthills of other species and drag away the larvae from there. Subsequently, the captive ants become their slaves and look after the Amazons.
There are leaf-cutter ants that live inside the mycelium, which they grow themselves. Their jaws are very well adapted for cutting leaves into small pieces and carrying them to the mycelium, and then building a dwelling from it, as well as feeding on it.
There are real giants in the world of ants, reaching a length of 4 centimeters.
Ants are mainly divided into hunters and gatherers. Hunters need protein food and carbohydrates; they are predators and hunt insects. It is very interesting to watch how ants use their antennae to chase prey by smell. When one of the ants finds syrup or fruit, on the way back to the anthill, it marks the road with its abdomen, which allows its fellows to quickly find their way to food. All these interesting points will be clearly visible to you in your home ant farm.
Gatherer ants differ from hunters in the peculiarities of their content. They feed mainly on what they find. Mostly these are plant seeds (poppy, rapeseed, millet). They will also not refuse protein foods. Can eat dead insects or the same boiled chicken(if we talk about a home ant farm). They do not hunt insects, they only defend themselves. But these ants have something very interesting. internal structure anthill There are food storage chambers (warehouses where they store seeds for a long time), birth rooms, dining rooms (where they bring seeds, soften them with moisture and eat them), rooms for caring for the young (in these rooms the ants care for and feed the larvae). And all the processes that occur in the ant house can be observed with your own eyes!
As a rule, ants within one family are divided into castes: scouts, workers, nanny ants, soldiers and queen (queen). Almost every species has scout ants; they make up a small percentage of the total population of the anthill. Their task is to explore unfamiliar territories and look for new sources of food. Workers are the main hard workers of the colony; they build, transport food, sort warehouses, and clean the anthill. Soldiers differ from other ants in their larger size, have a large head and powerful jaws. Nurse ants practically do not leave the young; they feed the larvae and the queen herself.
The queen is person No. 1 in the colony. All the inhabitants of the anthill are born from the same womb, that is, they are all brothers. The task of the uterus is only to give birth to new ants. She doesn't even get food herself. There are some species in whose colonies several queens can exist.
Each anthill and its inhabitants have their own unique smell, so even ants of the same species, but from different anthills, will be at enmity with each other.
Types of ant farms
A formicarium looks like an aquarium or a display case with filler inside. There are quite a few types of trusses, but the most common are vertical display, horizontal, volumetric and their combinations.
Horizontal formicarium 
Ant farms differ in their fillers. Sand and earth, clay and gypsum, aerated concrete and wood, alabaster and cement are used. Each of these materials has its own pros and cons. But the most practical, perhaps, is gypsum. In the West, ants are kept mainly in aerated concrete.
Gypsum formicarium Acrylic ant farms are very popular today. They are light, comfortable, practical and give good review to monitor the inhabitants.
Acrylic formicarium For arboreal ant species, there are wooden farms, the fillers of which are hardwoods.
Less common are combined trusses, which combine structures from different materials, for example, plaster, acrylic and glass or wood and plaster.
A new type on the market are formicariums made using 3D printing technology. They are made on the basis of polylactide polymer (PLA) - an absolutely environmentally friendly material.
By showing ingenuity and imagination, you can make a formicarium - a real work of art, with your own hands.
With enough experience, you can even create a biomodule, for example, with a colony of aphids, which ants will look after, or a module that imitates a corner of the forest, where Formica rufa will build a real dome.
Gel ant farm
Separately, it is necessary to say about gel formicaria. The history of ant gel began with a NASA experiment in 2003 aimed at studying the behavior of ants in microgravity conditions. Gel anthills allow you to study the behavior of insects in a unique closed environment. Thanks to them, we can amazingly observe how ants live and work in the nutrient gel, how they create entire systems of tunnels. Some gel farms are equipped with special lighting.
Gel ant farm with light 
Gel ant farms have one significant advantage - you can not only observe everyday life insects, but also to see with your own eyes how the ants will build their home day after day. In addition, the gel already contains the necessary nutrients and you won't have to feed the ants (if you feed the ants in a gel anthill, they will stop working). There are also some disadvantages - the number of ants in such a farm is limited due to the size of the farm. This is usually 20-100 inhabitants (the number of ants that fit into a gel anthill depends on the size of the anthill and the ants). The second disadvantage is that in a gel formicarium it usually costs high humidity, since the gel is made on the basis of water and algae. Therefore, preference should be given to those farms that have a dry arena in their design.
Do not place the gel farm in direct sunlight or near heating devices. Ants prefer shade. Room temperature is optimal for ants. Usually, at temperatures below 15 C, ants stop working!
How to care for an ant farm?
An integral part of the formicarium is the arena, where, in essence, the aboveground life of the colony occurs. Here the ants find food (of course, if the owners put it there in a timely manner), water, and a landfill is organized here. The farthest corner of the arena is usually reserved for it, where the garbage is folded into a neat pile.
Comfortable conditions for the inhabitants of the formicarium
In the formicarium it is necessary to create special conditions, microclimate comfortable for ants. There are few of them (conditions). Firstly, you need to maintain the temperature at 22-26° C, and secondly, the air humidity should be in the region of 70-90%. Ventilation is also necessary.
Feeding the ants
The colony needs two types of food: protein for the larvae and carbohydrates for the adult ants. Forage insects (crickets, mealworms, etc.) are usually used as protein food, which can now be purchased at almost any pet store. But if you couldn’t get the insects, it doesn’t matter! Ants will happily eat veal or chicken, egg whites, and fresh or boiled shrimp. The only thing worth cautioning against is that you do not feed the ants street insects - they can be poisoned by chemicals.
With carbohydrates, everything is generally simple. Even ordinary sugar, which needs to be diluted with water, will do. You can also give fructose or glucose. Ants eat with great appetite and fresh fruit(grapes, pears, apples, oranges, tangerines). As a rule, they will not refuse marmalade or marshmallows (but it is still better to refrain from industrial sweets). There are also types of ants that feed mainly on seeds (for example, Messor structor). They are also a bit of a hassle - a pack of canary food will last them a whole year. In general, there is always something to feed small pets in the house.
Remember that “food” should always be fresh and in sufficient quantities - the inhabitants of the formicarium will figure out how much and when to eat.
And don’t let the apparent difficulties scare you at the beginning of your journey, in reality there are not many of them. After all, an ant colony is a large organism with excellent self-regulation. If you inadvertently forgot to moisten the formicarium, the insects will fetch water from the drinking bowl and do it themselves. If they fail to feed, they will start using the prepared supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why can't you catch ants with your hands?
Small insects are easy to damage. Injured ants soon die.
- What types of ants are suitable for gel ant colonies?
Carpenter ant (Camponotus, carpenter ant). This type Ants live for about 12 months. They are able to build an extensive tunnel network and operate for a long time.
American harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex Harvester Ant). These ants are the most industrious and can build very complex tunnels). But, alas, they only live for about three months.
- Why do ants refuse to work?
There are several possible reasons for this:
- Usually the ants start working within a day or two. After the experience of moving, they need time to get used to the new environment. Try not to touch the gel anthill, just leave it on the table, then the ants will get used to it faster;
- the ants were injured;
- unfavorable temperature. At temperatures below 15° C and above 30° C, ants will not work.
- How long will ants live? What to do with dead ants?
Typically, the lifespan of an ant is about 6 months. Life expectancy varies for different types. Be that as it may, if you damage an ant during relocation, it will not live long. Always try to clear the anthill of dead ants. If most of the colony has died, release the survivors and introduce new ones. They will carry the remaining dead individuals from the tunnels to the surface.
Where can I get ants for my farm?
There are several options for acquiring ants. Firstly, future pets can be purchased at a pet store or at a bird market, secondly, they can be ordered in specialized online stores, and thirdly, ants for a home ant farm can be searched on Avito or similar free classifieds sites.
But the most obvious source of ants is, of course, nature. Ants live in almost any climate in almost all parts of the world except the north and south poles. They can usually be found near home, in forests, and parks. Even major cities do not scare these insects.
How to catch insects?
Let's look at 2 ways to catch ants:
Fishing with bait
Using bait, ants can be caught in just a few hours. Sweet water in a large bowl attracts most ants. Periodically collect any ants you find in containers.
You will need 2 jars (or cups) with a lid, sweet water (honey, bread crumbs), a small stick.
1. Find an anthill with ants that suit you. Ants should be big and black. Red ants may be " fire ants", which are dangerous predators and can sting you painfully.
2. Take a jar (a wide-necked cup) with a lid, pour sugar into it and add a little water so that the insects do not drown in the thick solution. Spread the solution evenly in a thin layer across the bottom of the jar. Sweet water will attract ants and they will definitely come to investigate. To help them feel the bait, dip your finger in the prepared solution and draw a path towards the bait from outside cups.
3. Leave the cup with the solution open near the anthill for several hours. There should be a few insects in it when you return. Cover the cup with a lid. If you put the cup in the same place, the ants will need less time to find it, because they leave a special chemical trail to the target.
4. Lure the ants from the cup onto the stick, then shake them into an empty jar with a little water and quickly close the lid. If you need more insects, again leave the cup with bait near the anthill.
5. Leave the ants in the jar for 2-3 days. This is necessary so that the ants are cleared of debris, which will prevent contamination of the gel in the helium anthill. Otherwise it may become moldy.
6. After 2-3 days, move the ants from the jar to permanent place residence - in a helium anthill, again using a stick.
Catching ants one by one
You will need a jar (container) with a lid, a piece of cardboard or thick paper, and a stick.
1. Wait near the anthill, and when an ant appears, carefully pick it up on the paper and shake it into the container.
2. Spray some water into the container with the ants, but never feed them. leave the ants in the jar for 2-3 days.
3. After 2-3 days, move the ant from the jar to a helium anthill using a stick.
Tips for catching ants
- Don't catch ants with your bare hands. You can easily damage these little creatures. Treat ants with care when catching, this will allow them to quickly adapt to new conditions.
- Children should not catch ants without adult supervision.
- Before you go catch ants in a jar, make several small holes in the lid. Ants need to breathe too!
- Some species of ants secrete formic acid for self-defense. If they are placed in a small airtight container, they can easily be poisoned by their own acid. Therefore, use a large container with small air holes.
- Only place ants from the same anthill in the same helium anthill. Ants from different colonies are at odds.
- Most ants in a colony are small, and only a few stand out large sizes. Don't just catch the big ants - they're soldiers. Their goal is to protect the anthill, and they will not dig tunnels. They are not even able to find food for themselves, and will die if they are not fed by ants - workers!