MAKING AN ANTFARM/FORMICARIUM

EDUCATION
Ants are often described as the most industrious insects
on earth. You can watch their activities by making an Ant
Farm or Formicarium.
A very simple farm can be made by filling a glass jar
or tray with fine soil. Add the ants and make it escapeproof. The ants will then excavate many tunnels.
Unfortunately many of the ants activities will be hidden
from view. If you follow the instructions below you can
make a formicarium in which you will be able to see
what goes on in the ant colony.
KEEPING THE ANTS
The farm must be kept covered for most of the time
because ants are used to living in the dark. Do not
leave the farm in sun and do not let the insects get too
dry. They will soon use different tunnels for different
purposes, nurseries, larders, etc.

A FORMICARIUM
OR ANT FARM

(2009)
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EDU 003
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Once the formicarium is established, you can set up a

variety of experiments. With typists correction fluid you
can mark individual ants and work out their activities
during the day. You can calculate an ants average life
span by isolating individual pupae and marking the
adults when they hatch out.
Introducing a stem of a rose bush that is thickly covered
with aphids will allow you to observe a particularly
interesting pattern of behaviour. Within a short time the
ants will start to milk the aphids, by stroking them with
their antennae, to obtain the sweet sticky substance they
secrete. The aphids are, in fact, like a dairy herd to the
ants.
If you keep conditions just right the colony should thrive
indefinitely and you might even get a swarm of winged
ants waiting to emerge in Summer. These are the males
and new queens ready to fly away, mate and begin new
colonies elsewhere.

light proof cover

tunnels and
nest chamber
sliding glass lid

connecting
tube

baseboard
The formicarium should have
a tightly fitting glass lid and
light proof cover. A flexible tube
connects with the outside world.
You can use the end chamber to
introduce food.

plaster cast
end chamber

stopper

MAKING AN ANTFARM/FORMICARIUM

GATHERING ANTS

FEEDING ANTS

Small red garden ants nest under stones and paths. They
do not sting. Dig into the nest collecting as many ants as
possible. To keep a thriving colony you need to collect a
queen, as only the queen can lay
eggs and keep the colony at full working strength. She is
easily recognised as she is much bigger than the others.
Another way to gather ants is to leave a box outside, bait
it with food and let the ants find it.

Ants eat almost anything fruit, seeds, pieces of meat,

dead insects. Place food in a feeding trough or on top
of the soil with water provided in a sponge or piece of
cotton wool.

1. Screw 4 lengths of wood to the baseboard

and position the glass with one edge
touching one of them

2. Add the connecting tube, moulding it in

with plasticene.

3. Mould plasticene to form a network of

tunnels and chambers.Pour in plaster-of
-Paris and leave to set.
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4. Turn the plaster mould by removing the

plasticine and lengths of wood. The glass
should now act as a sliding cover.
Introduce ants, and cover with heavy cloth.