16 Best Ant Farm For Adults We've Tested 2024
Brandon Forder May 16, 2024 11:06 AM
Whether you're a kid or a grownup, keeping an ant farm is a fun and educational hobby. These unique enclosures, renamed formicariums, lower the barrier to entry for owning and studying ant colonies. A well-designed ant farm can be a great educational resource for young children going through a "bug period," and its simplicity and lack of escapees will provide parents and educators peace of mind. Good ant farms offer the insects with a protected space where they can grow and multiply while remaining safely inside the enclosure. Learn more about the best ant farms for aspiring entomologists and bug hobbyists, as well as what to look for in formicaria.
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Size
Perhaps it goes without saying, but measure the area to ensure your planned ant farm would fit there. Avoid upsetting the ants by moving the farm around by doing some preliminary measuring. If you plan on expanding your ant colony in the future, you'll need to be sure that the area can support more ant farms.
Species
You'll need to buy the ants separately (or collect them yourself), as very few ant farms come with any. Find out which species of ant does well on the property you're considering buying. Harvester ants, black garden ants, and wood ants can all be accommodated by most common models. However, specialty models may be tailored to a particular species and may be difficult to source.
Cover Security
The ants must not be allowed to escape and invade your home. Each ant farm has a lid, but some have additional safeguards like a lip to discourage intruders or a lock to keep children and pets out. If you or a roommate has a habit of constantly knocking stuff over, they are an absolute must-have.
Design
Ant farms can either be of the terrarium or sandwich variety. An ant farm in the terrarium style is only a container with substrate in it, perhaps with some extra landscaping plants or ornaments on top. With the help of these ant farms, it's possible to design hospitable conditions for ant colonies, complete with separate quarters fit for a queen ant. These containers are typically quite large and deep, limiting the amount of visibility within.
These days, sandwich-style ant farms are the norm, especially among ones designed with children in mind. These ant farms are vertical so that the ants may be observed with ease. They typically consist of two panes of glass or plastic separated by a thin layer (an inch or two) of substrate. Despite its superiority for seeing ants at work, these ant farms aren't private enough to house a queen.
Natural hardscaping on the surface or plastic decorations to provide interest to the top layer can be added to either type of ant farm for human enjoyment, and are especially amusing for children.
Filler
Sand, soil, and gel are all examples of filler or substrate types utilized in ant farms. Sand has long been the go-to filler since it creates a favorable habitat for the colony's inhabitants and the high contrast that comes from its light tone. The tunnels in a sand ant farm are fragile, so the farm should not be relocated once it has been put up. Food and water for the colony must be delivered on a regular basis, making sand ant farms more labor-intensive but also more durable than gel solutions.
The artificial substance used as a nesting and food source in gel ant farms is also widely used in sandwich-style enclosures. Very little upkeep is required because the nutrient-rich edible gel already includes enough moisture and food to maintain the ants. (Nothing beyond a thorough cleaning is needed.) Children are drawn to the brilliant colors of the gel, while adults appreciate being able to see the ants within. Gel, in contrast to sand, won't give way if the farm is relocated. However, since replacement gel isn't easily accessible, most gel ant farms only last as long as the ants do.
Substrate like soil provides ants with a great natural resource. Because of its poor visibility, it is rarely used in sandwich-style ant farms. However, it is ideal for terrariums, where ants can find additional nutrients from certain soil mixtures and any live foliage can benefit from the soil's nutrients.
Additional Features
Food, filler material, magnifying glasses, tunnel-starter tools (small rods to create holes for ants to start tunneling), and connector tubes are just some of the extras that may be included in your purchase of an ant farm (to join multiple ant farms together). A well-designed ant farm can be even more instructive if it comes with a few books or guides on the subject of ants.
Many ant farms are constructed from durable materials and equipped with a childproof lock, making them ideal for children. For younger children, these safety features are essential to preventing ant escapees and broken enclosures. Older kids and adults can use them to keep the enclosure safe, too. Some even have a self-locking feature, locking themselves when the lid is closed to keep curious hands out (and ants in).
The addition of LED lighting is a great way to make the experience more enjoyable for ant lovers of all ages. Users can watch ants in their lighted ant farms at any time of the day or night.
Price
Budget-friendly
Ant farms in this price range are more of a novelty item than anything durable. They're probably made with cheap materials that will shatter and spill if the case is dropped. Ant farms can be purchased for between $8.99 and $11.99. If you want to add ants to your order, you can get a tube of about 50 ants for an extra $8.99.
Mid-range
You can find ant farms that are guaranteed not to break anywhere between the price range of $13 and $32. These farms are great for both educational purposes and for family fun.
Expensive
Several companies produce systems with interconnecting passages and multiple chambers, satisfying customers' desires for such complexity. One can build an ant colony to their specifications with this system, which costs between $32 and $300. As you might expect, ant farms of this sort see a lot of action in the classroom.
Why type of ants are best for ant farms?
There are over 12,000 different kinds of ants, but only a small percentage of those would do well in an ant farm. The harvester ant is the ideal species for ant farms, as reported by National Geographic. Black garden ants and wood ants are also great additions to ant farms because they require little maintenance and are fascinating to watch. Low-maintenance and simple to harvest, garden ants are another ideal resident.
Are gel ant farms good for ants?
Owners may prefer gel ant farms over sand ant farms because they are easier to care for, offer better visibility, and are more stable. Nonetheless, several online resources, including Cruelty-Free Soul and Ants Canada, state that keeping ants in gel ant farms is harmful to the insects. Before the gel was applied, the farm would have been too dark for the ants to survive. The odor of the gel also interferes with the ants' ability to use pheromones for social interaction. Finally, and most importantly, ants can't survive or thrive in gel ant farms because they don't provide the substances they need to forego food.
How can an ant farm owner get a queen ant?
Since it is impossible to buy a queen ant, the only way to start an ant colony is to capture one during mating season. It's important to remember that queen ants can't live in sandwich-style ant farms because they don't provide enough protection.
What do ants like to eat?
You can pretty much feed anything to an ant because they aren't picky eaters. Some ant farms even include food for the ants or a list of recommended foods to feed them. The options include live or recently killed insects, fruit, meat, honey and water soaked into a cotton ball, and more.
What should I do with ants when they die?
You should throw them out on a regular basis as they begin to expire. The average lifespan is six months, but this can vary widely depending on factors like the temperature and humidity of the environment, the quality of the kits, the ants' source, and more.
However many people may view ants as a nuisance, the fact remains that they are fascinating creatures. They spend all day searching for food, constructing a nest, tending to eggs, hatchlings, and the queen.
An ant colony is very similar to a modern human city in that everyone contributes to the common good by doing their assigned task. What better way is there to gain insight into ant culture and behavior than by ensuring the healthiest colony possible?
