Have you ever observed the life of ants? This is an extraordinary world with its own orders, laws, relationships. In order not to go to the forest to the anthill, we suggest you create your own ant farm. Having settled small inhabitants in it, you will be able to observe how paths and tunnels are being built, and how important these little hardworking creatures are scurrying back and forth, as if they are doing someone's task. How to make an ant farm with your own hands, we will tell you in this article.
What do you need for a farm?
You need two jars with lids - one larger and one smaller (so that the second can fit inside the first). Ants and earth will be placed in the space between the small and large container. A smaller jar is needed to leave space in the center.
Ants will be able to lay their eggs at the top edge and build tunnels, and you can watch this process. Airtight containers are great for "building". You can create with them right size farms. Please note that the jars should not have any drawings, cracks, scratches, etc. If you want your ant farm (with ants) to be flat, buy a small, narrow aquarium at the nearest pet store.
What are ant farms?
Ant farm may be of several types. The differences lie in the composition of the filler. The most common accepted are:
- soil-sand;
- plaster;
- gel.
Let's consider each of these types in more detail.
Soil and sand farm
First you need to prepare a mixture of sand and soil. Ants need a humid environment. This will allow small residents to dig tunnels and paths. If you collect ants in your dacha or yard, use the same land so that they move to new house found themselves in their familiar habitat. It will take enough earth to fill the space in the bank. 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 in a pet store, then the necessary mixture is attached to them.
We are looking for an anthill
Now you need to find "tenants" for your farm. The easiest way to find ants is on the street. You will not have any difficulties with this, especially if you involve your child in this process. anthills small sizes often found in yards. You can find them if you follow where the little workers are in such a hurry with their finds. When you go to collect ants, take gloves, a jar with a tight lid, and a scoop with you.
Poke a few holes in the lid with a needle (for air access). They must be very small so that the insects cannot get out. Drop honey or jam on 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 out the inhabitants of the anthill and move them to the jar.
Try to find the uterus. You will immediately recognize her - she is much larger than the rest of the inhabitants of the anthill. An ant farm inhabited 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 uterus can be bought from professional breeders. Your ant farm can start with 30-40 insects.
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. Pour in the earth. Make sure the lid is closed tightly. Fill the space between the banks with a soil-sand mixture. This composition should not be tightly packed - the ants will not be able to move inside.
The soil should not reach about 1.5 cm to the top of the jar. This is necessary so that the insects cannot get out when you open the lid. Plant the ants in a jar and close it. Do it very carefully. Use a needle to make air holes in the lid.
Farm care
We figured out how to make an ant farm. Now you need to know how to take care of her.
- 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 into a jar, a few drops of jam or honey - ants have a sweet tooth, they are very fond of sugar.
- Ants should not be given 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 state of constant stress and may lose activity.
- Ants are fragile creatures, rough handling can kill them due to the collapse of the tunnels. Therefore, the jar should not be shaken.
- The ant farm (you see the photo in this article) should be in warm room(at constant temperature.
- Do not allow direct access to the farm Sun rays. The walls of the jar may heat up and the ants will die.
Farm with gel filler
The gel ant farm is now sold in stores in a complete set. Of course, the set of such a farm does not include its inhabitants. They must be bought 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:
- a flat container with a lid and transparent walls;
- gelatin.
Cooking gel
Three bags of gelatin (15 g each) pour 0.5 liters of hot water, stir well so that the gelatin is completely dissolved. Then add another 0.5 liters of water. Pour the finished composition into a container and put it in the refrigerator. When it hardens, take it out and wait until the gel mass reaches room temperature.
Aquarium gel can be bought at the store in ready-made, but it is more interesting to do 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 indentation in the gel and plant ants in it, they will immediately begin to “eat away” their moves and build tunnels. Let us remind you once again that ants living on a gel farm do not need to be fed and watered. The gel is a source of moisture and food for them.
Gypsum Ant Farm
Such a formicarium (the so-called ant farm) is attractive in that it is completely open for observing insects.
To create it, you need a transparent container. Dilute gypsum to the consistency of sour cream. Pour the resulting composition into a container, after placing an ordinary plastic tube in it (near the side). It should reach to 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 after about a week. On the third or fourth day, take it out of the mold. If it doesn't come out easily, soak it in hot (but not boiling) water for thirty seconds. After that, the workpiece will easily come out of the mold.
Now it's time to show your design abilities, that is, to "draw" "rooms and corridors" on the blank. At this time, the composition is still raw, 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 moves are as close to natural as possible.
The two entrances for the inhabitants of the formicarium can be drilled with a drill. Now take any handy tool screwdriver, etc.) and start making tunnels according to your drawing applied to the workpiece, choosing gypsum from them. Do this carefully so that the composition that has not yet dried completely does not crumble.
At the bottom of the workpiece, several recesses should be made for better distribution of water and moistening of the formicaria. They must be connected by a small channel with a cocktail tube. Such recesses significantly reduce the weight of the formicarium. Don't forget to do ventilation holes V top cover and sides. To do this, you can use a 0.5 mm drill.
Your farm is almost ready. It remains to dry it well and place it in a container. Here again you may encounter a problem - the dried blank will not want to go back into the mold. Do not be upset, but again place it for 30 seconds in hot water, and it will easily enter the container.
It remains to find ants for the formicarium. There are many types of them, therefore, before purchasing, it is advisable to look through the special literature in order to select the most unpretentious of them. After settling the farm, you can study the life of these insects.
As you can see, a do-it-yourself ant farm is made quite simply from any material. In conclusion, I would like to give a few tips that will be useful to you.
- Ants can be fed dead insects, but only if you are sure that they are not poisonous.
- Plant insects of the same species in the farm. Two colonies can't get along, they can 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. So use gloves.
Contrary to popular belief, the arena is not just a box that ants use to get food and store garbage, the arena is a fairly important part of the formicarium that performs several functions. What exactly? This is what we are going to look at now.
What is an arena?
The arena is a space that simulates the area around the anthill. And if in nature ants have no boundaries other than natural ones, then at home they have to artificially restrain their movement.
What is the arena for?
The arena performs several functions at once. The most important thing is that it simplifies the care of the colony, facilitates feeding and cleaning. If your colony lives in a test tube, then every time the entrance is opened, the ants will raise the alarm and try to get out. And even if you manage to take out the garbage and throw in food instead before the workers run in, you still won’t be able to clean everything up. small particles, which the ants dragged onto the fleece. And each such particle is a potential source of mold, the appearance of which is undesirable in any case.
If you attach the arena, the ants do the cleaning work on their own - they themselves collect food in the arena, take out the garbage themselves, and go to the drinking bowl for water if they need it. All this not only simplifies the care of ants, but also gives the ants the opportunity to work "with their own hands", stretch their paws and generally be active.
In addition, a good arena also performs an aesthetic function. At proper planning, the arena becomes the decoration of the formicarium and a place where you can watch the ants during their hunting and foraging. A well designed arena should give good review everything that happens on it, and not create additional barriers to observation.
Another purpose that many keepers often forget about is maintaining the microclimate. Very often the arena looks like simple box made of plastic with a hole on the side - the ants take out food there and get food there. But keepers do not take into account that in nature, ants often use the space near the anthill for their needs - ants can set up solariums there and warm up cocoons, dry seeds in the bright sun, or simply warm themselves on their own to speed up their metabolism and digestion. Moreover, the further south an ant lives, the stronger the sun influences its behavior, and the more important it is to simulate daylight hours and temperature changes.
How to make a good arena?
The ideal arena for ants is their natural biome, where this species lives in the wild. Whatever we do, we will never be able to accurately replicate all the factors that ants deal with in the wild, but we can try to get as close to natural conditions as possible, while not forgetting the practical side.
The first is the size and height of the arena. The larger your colony, the larger size ants need arenas. It is not necessary to make one large arena - you can connect several using tubes, as they do, for example, for leaf cutters - in this case, you can detach one arena for cleaning, and transfer the ants from it to the second. For each species, the recommended size of the arena will be different, you just need to study this empirically, observing the behavior of ants in the arena that you already have. At the same time, most ant species forage on the ground, and only for aphids do they climb plants or low bushes - so there is no need to make arenas more than 10-20 cm high. Tall arenas are only needed if your species lives and hunts in trees or plants - for example, crematogasters, shiny wood borers, weavers. Most ants, as a rule, do not climb tall plants, which means that there is no need to place them, as well as to make a high arena. However, there is one more exception - for mass and small species, it makes sense to make an arena of great height - but only in order to apply a wide layer of anti-escape in an attempt to contain this hungry horde.
The second point is ventilation. Most ant farms have one major drawback - there is not enough ventilation in the arena. Small cuts in acrylic and thin slits between parts are unable to provide normal air circulation. Ants feel this very well, so they do not perceive the arena as an open external space - for them it is big, but closed place like a hollow in a tree or a cavity underground. Therefore, while there, the ants can often behave almost like in an anthill - they can drag brood back and forth, set up warehouses with seeds under shelters, or even drag the queen there. To avoid this behavior, need to provide good ventilation with mesh or open lid.
The third point is an overview. In pursuit of good level ventilation and imitation of natural conditions, one must not forget that the arena is needed, among other things, for convenient observation of ants. So when you are planning or choosing an arena for your ants, think about how you will look at the ants and what will get in your way. See where the ventilation nets are, where the ants will enter, where you can place waterers and feeders, make sure that no details or decorations will interfere with your observation.
The fourth point is convenience. There will be no use in the arena if you cannot properly maintain it. This means that you should be able to safely put food, remove trash, disconnect and connect the arena, update the anti-escape, without having to do any complicated manipulations. How easier care— so much the better for you and for the ants. There are a few points worth paying attention to:
1) The hole under the cover is large enough to allow manual manipulation with tweezers
2) There are several holes for connecting modules, from different sides
3) There is a large enough bezel to apply anti-escape
4) The surface of the arena is close enough to take macro photos
5) Above the arena there is a place to install a heating lamp
Despite the apparent simplicity, the organization of the arena should be approached wisely, and all possible nuances should be taken into account in advance. Even though many species can use the simplest arena without any problems, for a beautiful appearance you need to carefully consider the selection of both the scenery and the arena itself, so as not to encounter unexpected difficulties in leaving. But, if you do everything right, you can achieve not only functionality and convenience, but also a beautiful appearance - and your arena will delight you with its appearance, just like the ants that will use it.
As promised, I'm talking about the successful relocation of my ant family to a new anthill 🙂 1. Soldier 🙂 Did you know that all the ants in the anthill are girls"/-SorRjo_vVxA/TlFahzQkYlI/AAAAAAAAItI/mL-ZwZ-67Vg/s800/DSC_7398.jpg" /> So, in a test tube, it became a bit crowded for us. Camponotus fellah ants are quite large. The workers are about a centimeter long, and the mother and soldiers are twice as large. More than forty workers with offspring already could hardly fit in a test tube and I decided to build a formicaria (artificial anthill). The principle is simple - pour and drink, you need to cast a block from gypsum or alabaster with ready-made passages and rooms, which will have access to the arena, ventilation and the ability to moisten the structure. Information on the Internet sea! And, with all this, the first time is always an act. As always, before doing something new, I started with the preparation of materials. I bought a box of Ferrero chocolates, a box for beads, a hose, plasticine and a pack of plaster. I started by eating candy - it helps a lot brain activity🙂 3. Candy box will become an arena. The top is cut off so that the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be smeared with lip gloss so that the ants cannot get out of it. 
4. I cut the partitions in the bead box, cut out holes for ventilation, humidification and entry. Made a sketch of the interior. 
5. According to the sketch put under the glass, fashioned on the glass interior spaces so that they make the most of the depth of the box, but do not reach the back wall. One chamber stands separately - this is the humidification chamber. A tube for cocktails is inserted into it from above (two chambers above it have the appropriate shape for the passage of the tube). 
6. Model assembled without plaster. 
7. To simplify the process of removing the casting from the box and prevent the gypsum from flowing out through the holes already made, I lined the bottom of the box with cling film. 
I suggested pouring gypsum into a box and cover with glass with a plasticine mold, squeezing out excess gypsum. Actually it's not the most good idea. At least I didn't succeed. True, I have almost zero experience with plaster. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold was when I worked as a polisher in a dental clinic almost twenty years ago. I then carved a skull out of wax, five centimeters in size, and immortalized it in dental plastic. I lost it when moving, it's a pity 🙁 So, the first batch began to freeze before I put the mold in. It was a complete surprise for me and, in an attempt to finish the job, I crushed the glass 🙁 ...but still, we are not used to backing down... Using a piece of plastic cut out of a box of chocolates and the remains of gypsum as glass, approximately representing the allotted me a time frame, I still made a casting. Gypsum was a bit lacking. To get the front part right, I turned the mold onto the glass. On back wall the plaster sank, holes formed in a couple of places, but the front side cast perfectly. 8. Cleaned out the plasticine. 
I dug up a little alabaster in the bins: I covered the holes and built up the sagging areas. When the casting was frozen, but not yet dry: with a knife, I leveled the bumps and burrs, cut through the passages to the ventilation. 9. I soaked the casting in water with detergent for dishes to wash the fat absorbed from plasticine from gypsum. 
I rinsed the casting thoroughly and left it to dry for several days. 10. I got a new piece of glass, assembled the mold and glued it with silicone. 
11. To cover the ventilation, my daughter suggested a nylon mesh. The mesh turned out to be very thin, durable and, thanks to a special weaving, had cells that did not move apart. Tanya also glued the nets with hot glue. 
12. Pre-assembly 
13. Entering the arena 
Well, you can connect. 14. I cut a hole in the old arena and connected a new formik, after wetting it. 
I read a lot about the fact that ants are not very willing to move to a new home. To encourage relocation, many keepers darken the new formic. I decided to give my ants some time and leave everything as is. They didn't make me wait long 🙂 15. The scout for a long time and carefully examined the new dwelling, constantly stopping, moving his antennae and cleaning them. 
16. — And your nets are strong"/-cDPv-C1bRQQ/TlFZqd7ouxI/AAAAAAAAIqk/kuOxNjVYzoA/s800/DSC_7279.jpg" /> Quite quickly, there were two scouts, then four. Then about six workers wandered aimlessly around the formica for about an hour, scanning the space with their antennae and imitating everyday life: they cleaned each other, tried to gnaw the nets and walls ... In the end, a military expert of soldiers was invited for inspection, and then it started! The eggs were dragged, the larvae and cocoons were left in a test tube. They shift them from place to place, look for eggs and drag them into the form. Pieces of 15 workers and one soldier are sitting with a uterus in a test tube. 17. - To the attention of those relocating: proceed with things to the blue corridor 
18. They dragged ... uh ... robots-nannies :))) The workers dragged the crooked workers, I thought that they were dragging the newly hatched ones, but as soon as the crooked ones were released, they jumped to their feet and started running. I think that they were dragging nannies who never came out of the test tube. 
19. I didn't see where they have the activation button. Most often, after releasing, the transported person got up and began to run. 
20. 
21. But it happened that they forgot to press the activation button and the ant lay in the same position for half an hour 
There are three people in the arena: one soldier and two workers. The rest are all in uniform. In one place they are trying to gnaw at the wall. It turned out that they gnaw at the wall in order to get building materials for laying ventilation. I missed how my mother was transferred. After she left, only larvae, cocoons, one soldier and a group of workers remained in the test tube. 22. A soldier met and fed every incoming porter. 
23. Drag cocoons 
24. The most difficult thing is to drag the larva in size more ant 
They dragged the last larva. Three workers are sitting in a test tube - they are finishing something, and a half-soldier is sitting at the entrance. There is a soldier and one worker in the arena, the rest are all in uniform 🙂 I sealed the two lower ventilation holes. The ants picked up fresh alabaster and shrunk the remaining two ventilation holes by a factor of four. All pupae and larvae were taken out into the tube, only eggs were left inside. They also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. I hope that two holes will be enough for them. At least they stopped digging 🙂 25. They gnawed fresh alabaster... 
26. ...and sealed the top holes 
27. I thought that all the construction participants would remain with sealed mouths 🙁 
28. But, no - with the help of comrades, almost everyone got rid of the "fillings" in the very first hours after the completion of work 
All pupae were returned to the form. There is no one in the arena... at all. One sits in a test tube. A group of 3-4 workers sometimes drops in on him. They clean themselves there, "kiss" and leave, leaving one. 29. Removed the test tube, changed the arena and put a big drinker. Ant farm is ready 🙂 
It is much better to observe and photograph ants through a flat glass. Finally I was able to photograph the process of unpacking the newborn 30. 
31. 
32. 
33. 
34. 
35. 
As well as packaging ... 36. I noticed that the worker was busy with the larva of a soldier, and she was somehow strangely moving ... inside a thin cocoon! 
37. 
38. 
39. Ants build DNA models from eggs in the air. Probably ventilate 
40. open water Ants, for some reason, do not really know how to drink. Maybe it's just mine"/-PYjNVDLPZOg/TlFbHEHBrJI/AAAAAAAAAIus/YZqKkGCsi7I/s800/DSC_7705.jpg" /> 41. For honey syrup I put them plastic cover from bottled water. He poured boiling water over it, pressed a depression with his finger and dipped it in cold water. It turned out a tall saucer. 
42. It turns out that the larvae have such a red fluff 🙂 
43. I am very pleased that my ants began to eat cat food. I think it's very healthy eating 🙂 
44. About social justice: The soldier washes away the worker 😉 
45. - See you soon 🙂 
August 25th, 2011 08:35 am
As promised, I'm talking about the successful relocation of my ant family to a new anthill :)
The resettlement began the next day after I summed up the results in the last post. Since then, the ants have doubled their numbers and now there are about a hundred Amazons :)
1. Soldier :)
Did you know that all ants in an anthill are girls? Even the stern, belligerent-looking soldiers are, in fact, soldiers. Ants need boys only at the time of reproduction and only once! (And if this time is unsuccessful?) During the breeding season, winged princes and princesses leave the anthill in search of a partner. After mating, the princesses discard their wings, and the princes ... skates: (And after that, once the female lays eggs for about twenty years !!! By the way, no other insect on Earth lives as long as the ant queen. True, worker ants live from one up to five years.
The fertilized uterus, which has shed its wings, begins to look for a suitable secluded place. If you find it, pick it up and put it in a test tube with wet cotton wool, you will become a myrmkeeper;)
2. Soldier love;) 
So, in the test tube, it became crowded for us. Camponotus fellah ants are quite large. The workers are about a centimeter long, and the mother and soldiers are twice as large. More than forty workers with offspring already could hardly fit in a test tube and I decided to build a formicaria (artificial anthill). The principle is simple - pour and drink, you need to cast a block from gypsum or alabaster with ready-made passages and rooms, which will have access to the arena, ventilation and the ability to moisten the structure. Information on the Internet sea! And, with all this, the first time is always an act.
As always, before doing something new, I started with the preparation of materials. I bought a box of Ferrero chocolates, a box for beads, a hose, plasticine and a pack of plaster. I started by eating candy - it really helps brain activity :)
3. The candy box will become an arena. The top is cut off so that the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be smeared with lip gloss so that the ants cannot get out of it. 
4. I cut the partitions in the bead box, cut out holes for ventilation, humidification and entry. Made a sketch of the interior. 
5. According to the sketch placed under the glass, I fashioned the interior spaces on the glass so that they make the most of the depth of the box, but do not reach the back wall. One chamber stands separately - this is the humidification chamber. A tube for cocktails is inserted into it from above (two chambers above it have the appropriate shape for the passage of the tube). 
6. Model assembled without plaster. 
7. To simplify the process of removing the casting from the box and prevent the gypsum from flowing out through the holes already made, I lined the bottom of the box with cling film. 
I suggested pouring gypsum into a box and cover with glass with a plasticine mold, squeezing out excess gypsum. Actually this is not a good idea. At least I didn't succeed. True, I have almost zero experience with plaster. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold was when I worked as a polisher in a dental clinic almost twenty years ago. I then carved a skull out of wax, five centimeters in size, and immortalized it in dental plastic. I lost it while moving, sorry :(
So, the first batch began to harden before I put the mold in. For me, it was a complete surprise and, in an attempt to bring the matter to the end, I crushed the glass: (... but still, we are not used to backing down ... (c) Using a piece of plastic cut out of a box of chocolates and the remains of gypsum as glass ", approximately representing the time frame allotted to me, I nevertheless made a casting. The gypsum was a little lacking. To make the front part work properly, I turned the mold over onto glass. On the back wall, the gypsum sank, holes formed in a couple of places, but the front side was cast perfectly.
8. Cleaned out the plasticine. 
I dug up a little alabaster in the bins: I covered the holes and built up the sagging areas. When the casting was frozen, but not yet dry: with a knife, I leveled the bumps and burrs, cut through the passages to the ventilation.
9. I soaked the casting in water with dish detergent to wash out the fat absorbed from the plasticine from the plaster. 
I rinsed the casting thoroughly and left it to dry for several days.
10. I got a new piece of glass, assembled the mold and glued it with silicone. 
11. To cover the ventilation, my daughter suggested a nylon mesh. The mesh turned out to be very thin, durable and, thanks to a special weaving, had cells that did not move apart. Tanya also glued the nets with hot glue. 
12. Pre-assembly 
13. Entering the arena 
Well, you can connect.
14. I cut a hole in the old arena and connected a new formik, after wetting it. 
I read a lot about the fact that ants are not very willing to move to a new home. To encourage relocation, many keepers darken the new formic. I decided to give my ants some time and leave everything as is. They didn't make me wait long :)
15. The scout for a long time and carefully examined the new dwelling, constantly stopping, moving his antennae and cleaning them. 
16. - Are your nets strong? And then we have a cat:))) 
Quite quickly there were two scouts, then four. Then about six workers wandered aimlessly around the form for about an hour, scanning the space with their antennae and imitating everyday life: they cleaned each other, tried to gnaw on the nets and walls ... In the end, a military expert of soldiers was invited for inspection and then it began!
The eggs were dragged, the larvae and cocoons were left in a test tube. They shift them from place to place, look for eggs and drag them into the form. Pieces of 15 workers and one soldier are sitting with a uterus in a test tube.
17. - To the attention of those who are relocating: proceed with things to the blue corridor 
18. They dragged .... uh ... robots-nannies :))) The workers dragged the crooked workers, I thought that they were dragging the newly hatched ones, but as soon as the crooked ones were released, they jumped to their feet and started running. I think that they were dragging nannies who never came out of the test tube. 
19. I didn't see where they have the activation button. Most often, after releasing, the transported person got up and began to run. 
20.
21. But it happened that they forgot to press the activation button and the ant lay in the same position for half an hour 
There are three people in the arena: one soldier and two workers. The rest are all in uniform. In one place they are trying to gnaw at the wall. It turned out that they gnaw at the wall in order to get building materials for laying ventilation.
I missed how my mother was transferred. After she left, only larvae, cocoons, one soldier and a group of workers remained in the test tube.
22. A soldier met and fed every incoming porter. 
23. Drag cocoons 
24. The most difficult thing is to drag a larva larger than an ant 
They dragged the last larva. Three workers are sitting in a test tube - they are finishing something, and a half-soldier is sitting at the entrance. There is a soldier and one worker in the arena, the rest are all in uniform :)
Closed up the two lower ventilation holes. The ants picked up fresh alabaster and shrunk the remaining two ventilation holes by a factor of four. All pupae and larvae were taken out into the tube, only eggs were left inside. They also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. I hope that two holes will be enough for them. At least they stopped digging :)
25. Gnawed fresh alabaster... 
26. ...and sealed the top holes 
27. I thought that all the construction participants would remain with sealed mouths :( 
28. But, no - with the help of comrades, almost everyone got rid of the "seals" in the very first hours after the completion of work 
All pupae were returned to the form. There is no one in the arena... at all. One sits in a test tube. A group of 3-4 workers sometimes drops in on him. They clean themselves there, "kiss" and leave, leaving one.
29. Removed the test tube, changed the arena and put a big drinker. Ant farm is ready :) 
It is much better to observe and photograph ants through a flat glass. Finally I was able to photograph the process of unpacking a newborn
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
As well as packaging...
36. I noticed that a worker was fiddling with a soldier's larva, and it was moving in a strange way ... inside a thin cocoon! 
37.
38.
39. Ants build DNA models from eggs in the air. Probably ventilate 
40. Ants, for some reason, do not really know how to drink open water. Maybe it's just mine? I had to put cotton wool in the drinker. So they drink and do not drown :) 
41. For honey syrup, I put them a plastic cap from bottled water. He poured boiling water over it, squeezed a recess with his finger and dipped it in cold water. It turned out a tall saucer. 
42. It turns out that the larvae have such a red fluff :) 
43. I am very pleased that my ants began to eat cat food. I think it's very healthy :) 
44. About social justice: The soldier washes away the worker;) 
45. - See you soon :) 
When it comes to ants, it is a small black insect that sometimes flies and loves sugar. But this is only a superficial idea of these amazing living creatures.
The article will not talk about a couple of annoying insects, but about creating a full-fledged do-it-yourself formicarium.
Ant species are different. But no matter what species is chosen for breeding, the same rules for creating a cozy anthill apply to everyone. Where to start?
Read also:
How to make a formicarium for ants?
As you can see from the photo, this is a special aquarium, an ant farm. They are different sizes, formats, with different content. Can be used as soil sand. From it, ants will build nests, create transitions and an arena.
Perfect fit finely sifted natural sand. You should stop using garden soil, as it contains various bacteria and chemicals. It is permissible to use plaster. It is poured into a special mold, forming passages and minks. 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.
The lack of moisture is equivalent to the death of the entire anthill. With an excess of moisture, fungus and mold can appear, which is also fatal. If perspiration appears on the walls of the formicaria, this is a sure sign that it is necessary to stop moisturizing for a while.
The required level of humidity is found out in a practical way.
For drinking you can put a small saucer or a tin bottle cap in the anthill. Ants will use this water to moisten their homes and build new passages. It is important to remember that only filtered water can be given to ants.
In the vast majority of cases, suitable for ants room temperature, order 25 degrees Celsius. If the room is cool, then 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 keep track of the correct temperature level.
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Ants feel best when moderate lighting. It is desirable to darken not only the chambers, but the entire formicarium.
Insects will get used to open lighting, and quickly enough, but for a comfortable life it is better to leave them in the shade. Particularly harmful effect sunlight exerts on the larvae. Adults are also not recommended to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a long time.
If for some reason the owner needs formicarium lighting at home, experts recommend using moonlight lamp. Such a lamp will be able to warm the 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 can act. To provide carbohydrates, honey water is made by 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 fall into hibernation. Insects become inactive, refuse proteins, rarely leave their nests. For this period, you should change the approach to caring for formicarium with your own hands. The temperature must be maintained between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius. An aquarium can, for example, be put in a 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 back into heat and gradually warm it up to the usual temperature. The warming process can take up to 7 days.
Here's how to make a do-it-yourself ant farm. At proper care, the owner can get a very interesting and developed ant world. It is interesting to watch him, he is interesting for both children and adults.
