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How to Raise an Ant Farm

Raising an ant farm is fascinating for both the young and mature. Without a queen to make more ants, the average lifespan of an ant farm can be up to 12 weeks. Mail order ants are not shipped with queens, but with all the free ant hills abounding all around you, there is little need to buy ants for your farm. You can march out in your backyard and begin collecting your ant soldiers to observe.

Things You'll Need

Plastic container with fitted lid
Pin
Gloves
12 ants with queen (optional)
Water
Large mason jar
Soil or sand
Piece of cheesecloth, about 12 inches by 12 inches, doubled
Rubber bands
Dark paper
Masking tape
Honey
Bread crumbs
Bottle cap
Wet sponge square

Instructions

- 1
  Use the pin to poke about eight holes in the lid of the plastic container. Make sure the holes are smaller than the ants.
- 2
  
  Ant mounds
  
  Use the container to scoop dirt with ants. Wear gloves to prevent any bites. Fill container half full of ants and dirt. Add a little water. The water will help you count the ants in your scoop as they will scramble for drier dirt. Try to catch the biggest ant, which is usually the queen. When you have the container filled, cover with the lid.
- 3
  Fill the mason jar half full with soil or sand. Add your ants with original soil. Cover with doubled cheesecloth over the top of the jar. Secure the cloth with a rubber band.
- 4
  Cover the outside of the jar with the dark paper and secure it with the masking tape. This will simulate the darkness of being underground for the ants.
- 5
  Feed daily with honey and bread crumbs. Do not overfeed. About 1/2 tsp. a week is enough food to feed a colony of two dozen ants. Water your ants by wetting the small piece of sponge and placing it inside a bottle cap. Put that on top of the soil in the jar. Remove the paper to see the tunnels they built against the glass.

Insects & Science