Tips for Raising an Ant Farm
June 19th 2009 15:52
For years, probably over 50 years to be a little more exact, children and adults have both enjoyed watching ants in an ant farm. Although, no one enjoys ants within the home or even outside, you'll find that an actual ant farm will go over big as a birthday or holiday gift for a young child.
There are the basic traditional ant farms and the new modern gel ant farms. The gel ant farms look way cooler, but the traditional ant farms typically last longer. Most reviews for the gel ant farm pretty much consist of the ants living and making cool trails in the gel in order to find a way out, but when they give up, they die in a few weeks. No matter what ant farm you prefer, you'll want to make sure that you have the proper knowledge about raising ants in an ant farm.
The Ants
When you get your new ant farm, you want to make sure that it's properly set up according to the instructions in the box. Make sure that you know what type of ants that you can use because many ant farms will advise against using army ants and fire ants. You may have to order your ants specially through the company.
But, once you have your ants and your ant farm ready to accept your ants, you may want to put the ants in the fridge for 5 minutes to calm them down. Because ants are cold blooded, you won't kill them; it will just put them in a more calmed state. It will make the ants easier to work with when dumping them in their new home. Use a funnel or rolled up piece of paper to safely shuffle the ants down the observatory.
Water
To ensure that your ants have the best care that you can provide them, you'll want to give them a few drops of water each day. This is really for those of you who prefer the traditional ant farms versus the gel ant farms. If you have the original style ant farm, you'll want to make sure that the few water drops do not pool up on the sand. You just want to make sure that the ants have a cool boost of energy. If you want you can even add a pinch of sugar to a teaspoon of water to give to your ants once a week, as a treat.
Food
Generally, most ant farms will prefer tat you use harvester ants because they're the easiet to care for. You'll need to feed you harvester ants small pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as celery, apple, and lettuce. You want to stick with fruits and vegetables that will not get stick and mushy. You only want to feed them ever y 2-3 days, removing any uneaten food each time you provide fresh food; this will prevent mold from growing in the habitat, which can kill your ants.
Temperature
Temperature is probably one of the biggest factors that determines how long your ants will live in a traditional style ant farm. You'll find that ants live longer in a cooler environment, with temperatures around 60-70 degrees.
Lighting
You don't want to put your ant farm in direct light because this will increase the temperatures within your ant farm. Lighting really isn't a main concern.
There are the basic traditional ant farms and the new modern gel ant farms. The gel ant farms look way cooler, but the traditional ant farms typically last longer. Most reviews for the gel ant farm pretty much consist of the ants living and making cool trails in the gel in order to find a way out, but when they give up, they die in a few weeks. No matter what ant farm you prefer, you'll want to make sure that you have the proper knowledge about raising ants in an ant farm.
Traditional Ant Farm
The Ants
When you get your new ant farm, you want to make sure that it's properly set up according to the instructions in the box. Make sure that you know what type of ants that you can use because many ant farms will advise against using army ants and fire ants. You may have to order your ants specially through the company.
But, once you have your ants and your ant farm ready to accept your ants, you may want to put the ants in the fridge for 5 minutes to calm them down. Because ants are cold blooded, you won't kill them; it will just put them in a more calmed state. It will make the ants easier to work with when dumping them in their new home. Use a funnel or rolled up piece of paper to safely shuffle the ants down the observatory.
Water
To ensure that your ants have the best care that you can provide them, you'll want to give them a few drops of water each day. This is really for those of you who prefer the traditional ant farms versus the gel ant farms. If you have the original style ant farm, you'll want to make sure that the few water drops do not pool up on the sand. You just want to make sure that the ants have a cool boost of energy. If you want you can even add a pinch of sugar to a teaspoon of water to give to your ants once a week, as a treat.
Food
Generally, most ant farms will prefer tat you use harvester ants because they're the easiet to care for. You'll need to feed you harvester ants small pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as celery, apple, and lettuce. You want to stick with fruits and vegetables that will not get stick and mushy. You only want to feed them ever y 2-3 days, removing any uneaten food each time you provide fresh food; this will prevent mold from growing in the habitat, which can kill your ants.
Temperature
Temperature is probably one of the biggest factors that determines how long your ants will live in a traditional style ant farm. You'll find that ants live longer in a cooler environment, with temperatures around 60-70 degrees.
Lighting
You don't want to put your ant farm in direct light because this will increase the temperatures within your ant farm. Lighting really isn't a main concern.
Gel Ant Farm
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