Ants are social creatures and they need colonies. Ants are eusocial species, and can be found in almost every habitat on Earth. There are approximately 10,000 currently recognized ant species, about the same as for bees and wasps. Like other eusocial insects, ants have a distinctive social structure composed of queens (the only insects that can lay eggs), workers and males.
Ants have colonized most landmasses except for Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. A terrarium is an easy, safe, and fun activity for people of all ages to do. There are many different types of terrariums which makes it interesting. In this article I will tell you everything about making terrariums with ants and how to care for them.
Building a Terrarium With Ants
You will never forget the first time you watch a colony of live ants build their own ant farm. I sure didn’t! The process is truly mesmerizing, and what better way to observe it than through the scientific method? So, take your kid-scientist goggles off, because we’re building a terrarium with ants. You’ll need a few basic materials and a few days worth of patience, but at the end of this experiment you’ll have your very own pet ant terrarium.
Step 1: Materials Needed:
To make a terrarium with ants, you will need to gather supplies. These materials include:
-A glass jar or other clear container. You can use any jar that holds water, but avoid using plastic containers as they will not allow the light to pass through and therefore may not be as appealing to the ants. If you do use a plastic container, make sure it is food-grade and opaque so that light cannot reach inside of it.
-A piece of paper large enough to cover the bottom of your jar and have an inch or two extra on each side for easy placement (if necessary). On one side of this paper, draw out a rectangle about 1 inch taller than your container’s diameter; this will serve as its base later on when we put our sand layer in place!
-A pen, pencil or marker capable of writing on both sides (or just one if double-sided) with some flexibility in color choices so we can use markers later on! This tool is also helpful for drawing straight lines which makes things easier when placing items inside our terrarium without having them move around too much while getting everything set up correctly beforehand!
Step 2: How to get ants
There are many ways to obtain ants, but the most popular is by mail order from an ant farm. These farms sell a variety of different species and sizes, from tiny to large (and everything in between). You may also find them for sale at your local pet store or hardware store if you prefer not to order online.
How do I keep the ants alive?
Ants require very little attention once they arrive at your home and settle into their new home inside their terrarium! Some people worry about keeping them happy enough so they will stick around long enough for them to go through their entire life cycle together with their queen ant—but don’t worry! Your job here is super easy because all you have to do is make sure that there isn’t anything wrong with your terrarium setup so that all the conditions are ideal for these tiny creatures’ survival (which we covered earlier). If everything looks good on paper then just leave them alone; they’ll take care of themselves!
Step 3: Building the Terrarium
You can use any large, clear plastic container. This will be your terrarium.
To start, put a layer of dirt in the bottom of the container. Then add a layer of pebbles on top of the dirt. The ants need something to walk on so they don’t drown in their own waste!
Put your ant colony into the container, then cover it with a lid and place it somewhere warm for about two weeks (a sunny windowsill works great). This will give them time to acclimate before moving into their new home!
Now you have a terrarium with ants.
Now that you’ve created a terrarium so that you can observe your ants, it is time to watch them. You can discover more about the ant species and their natural habitats by observing them in this environment. This can be done by watching the ants build their nest, tunnel through the soil and mud, interact with each other, lay eggs or feed on food items that may be provided in the terrarium.
By observing these activities regularly over time, one will learn more about the ants’ behavior patterns as well as how they interact with one another within their colony. If there are multiple ant colonies present then it could also reveal any territorial disputes between colonies or even if there is reproduction taking place between different species by watching interactions between workers from different colonies (for example: some worker ants are known for attacking other workers from other nests).
Ants Terrarium Kits
DIY Terrarium Kit Care for Live Ants
Price: $54.99
Features:
- In this ant farm nest you can feed the ants, watch them dig, forage, build their homes, lay eggs, learn about the life cycle of an ant colony, watch how tiny ants manifest such amazing power, encourage ant colony lovers and thinkers Engage and explore the worlds of entomology, ecology and biology
- Made of high-quality acrylic, stable and safe, the product has high transparency, you can observe the ants’ activity track closely and clearly
- Precisely designed and manufactured so that ants can’t escape, transparent acrylic is very convenient to observe the life of ants clearly, the activity area is the perfect place for customization,
- This ant farm does not include ants, you need to install it yourself, please install it according to the installation guide, there is a protective film on the surface of the product to avoid scratches, please tear off the film before installation. After installation, carefully check all parts and corners, if there are gaps in the ant farm nest due to improper installation, it is highly recommended to reinforce them with glue or tape to avoid the escape of very small ants
Ant Farm Ant House for ant Farm
Price: $49.99
Features:
- The ant nest is composed of activity areas and living areas. Activity area 4.7 inches long, 3.5 inches high and 3 inches wide.Living area 4.5 inches long, 2 inches high, 3.5 inches wide.Living areas also have rockeries and plants to enhance the ornamental aspect
- Stabilize the state of the colony and increase the speed of reproduction. The red transparent acrylic plate allows us to observe the daily life of ants without affecting the colony’s own routine. Even under the desk lamp, it can keep the living ants calm without panicking and affecting the reproduction of the queen
- The use of a water tower avoids the use of water injected directly into the plaster nest, resulting in too much moisture being sent, and a single water change can maintain the colony’s water needs for 3-4 weeks.
- There is a special area for the colony to hoard garbage, which is convenient for cleaning the ant nest, just take down the garbage area and clean it separately
- There are 3 holes in front of the ant nest, as well as on the left and right sides, which can be used to expand the nest, so you only need to connect the rubber hose to expand the nest without worrying about the colony growing too large.