How to Build an ant Farm
Building an ant farm is a fun, entertaining and educational project that you can do with your kids. The following will show you how to build your own ant farm.
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Instructions
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1
Search for a good ant pile in the dirt that you can use for this project. Make sure the ants are non-biting ants. If the ants are biting ants, such as fire ants, an adult will need to complete the next step of the project; however, such ants are not recommended.
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2
Push your garden shovel into the dirt around the ant pile in a complete circle around the entry to the ant pile.
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3
Dig up the dirt and the ants carefully so you do not hurt the ants and place it into a glass jar.
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4
Look for the queen ant as you dig, which will be a bigger ant than the other ants and may have wings. Make sure to put this ant into your jar and any little white eggs or larvae that you find as well.
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5
Pack the dirt into the jar firmly and make sure that the dirt is about 3 inches from the top of the jar.
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6
Place the dark construction paper around the jar and tape it. This will make the ants feel like they are underground so that they build their tunnels up to the edge of the jar so that you can see the tunnels.
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7
Take the construction paper off occasionally so you can watch the ants build their home.
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8
Feed your ants by sprinkling the top of the dirt with small bits of fruit, vegetables, bread crumbs and other such things.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure there are plenty of small air holes in the jar lid. Do not make them too big, in case your jar tips over, so that the ants can not escape.
You can also purchase kits at the store where you can mail order your ants.
Do not overfeed your ants to keep the food from rotting in the ant farm.
