How to Bulid Your Own Ant Farm
Ant farms are one of the easiest and most beloved of all science projects. Small ants, such as common black ants that occupy many gardens (Lasius niger), can also make educational and low-maintenance pets, Purchase ready-made ant farms and supplies at many hobby and science gift shops, or construct your own low-cost, homemade version using an old aquarium, a few household tools, some dirt and locally harvested ants.
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Things You'll Need
- Old aquarium
- Piece of plexiglas
- Drill with drill bits
- Goggles
- Sand (enough to fill aquarium ¾ to top)
- Water in watering can
- Twigs or stones
- Dark cloth
- Small box with lid
- 3 cups of soil, twigs or rocks from ants' habitat
- Small plastic cup
- 1 tbsp. sugar or small pieces of fruit
Instructions
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1
Don goggles and lay the piece of plexiglas onto a work surface. Drill a few small holes that just perforate the plexiglas, enough to allow air to circulate, but small enough so your ants will not be able to escape. Set aside.
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2
Place your ant farm out of direct sunlight and away from pets. Set the aquarium in your chosen location.
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3
Fill the aquarium ¾ to the top with sand. This will form the ants' tunneling material.
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4
Wet the sand completely with water from the watering can. Tunneling material needs to be---and stay---moist so the tunnels do not cave in.
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5
Attract your ants. Place some sugar or fruit segments inside a plastic cup and locate an area where black garden ants are likely to live, such as gardens or near trash and compost bins. Lay the cup down.
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Shake the ants into the lidded box as they come to explore the food. Continue collecting the ants until you have approximately 50 to 100 individuals.
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Collect about 3 cups' worth of dirt, rocks and twigs from around where you found your ants. Bring these and your box of ants into the aquarium.
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8
Shake the ants gently into the aquarium onto the sand. They will initially try to escape, so place the Plexiglas across the top quickly.
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9
Place the dirt, rocks or twigs, along with a few scraps of vegetable or fruit, on top of the sand layer after a few hours, and then replace the Plexiglas. Watch your ants begin establishing a new nest.
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10
Cover the aquarium with the dark cloth, as ants hate light in their nests. Occasionally dampen the sand, to ensure that it stays moist, and place some food morsels on top a few times a week for the ants to eat.
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Tips & Warnings
Common black garden ants are plentiful across North America. They are usually dark brown to black in color, and may be covered in small hairs. Queens usually have wings, which they shed after mating.
If you would prefer not to collect the ants yourself, purchase several varieties of small ants to colonize an ant farm from online educational retailers.
References
- Photo Credit ant image by Ekaterina Shvigert from Fotolia.com
