Table of Contents
 | Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm | Check price at |
 | Live Blue Gel Ant Habitat With Live Ants | Check price at |
 | Ant Habitat with LED Light from Evviva Sciences | Check price at |
 | Educational Insights GeoSafari Ant Factory | Check price at |
 | Light-Up Ant Farm Terrarium Kit For Kids | Check price at |
 | Uncle Milton Ant Colony | Check price at |
 | New Advanced Ant Nursery Farm Maze Lowest Price | Check price at |
Ants fascinate me; they are amazing creatures! They scurry around all day long, searching for food, building the nest, caring for their young, and protecting the queen. To me, an ant colony is like an industrious human city: everyone has a job to do, and they get on with it.
When I was younger, I had one of the older ant farms; they were very simple. They consisted of sand between two pieces of glass, but now there are much cooler options available. Newer ant farms use brightly colored gel to create a stable ecosystem for the ants, so they look super cool, and it’s even more exciting watching them in action.
Having an ant farm as a child, taught me a lot about responsibility since I had to feed and water my ant pets every day. But the rewards were worth it! Watching the fascinating way ants interact with their environment and each other was a real treat.
I believe that kids can learn a lot from how ants live and work, and an ant farm is an excellent educational tool to make that happen. It allows children to witness a hidden world most people never get to see and provides insights into the way an ant colony functions. However, when purchasing an ant farm, it’s essential to keep in mind that not all of them come with live ants. Trust me; your child will be very disappointed if they open up their ant colony only to find out that it has no ants!
I think ant farms are awesome and am confident your kids will agree, so here are seven of the most amazing ant farms for kids.
Creating a Happy Home for Your Ants: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Ant Farm
As a parent searching for the best ant farm for my child, I discovered that not all ant farms are created equal. Here’s what I learned about what to look for and why it matters.
Best Ant Farm Sets for Kids Compared
The Top Ant Habitat and Farm Reviews
1. Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm
The Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm has a large viewing area to observe live ants dig tunnels, move mountains and create bridges. The STEM learning toy about life and nature is a perfect gift for kids 6 years and up to have hours of fun while observing harvester ats tunnel their way through the sand.
The break-resistant and escape-proof self-locking device will keep the harvester ants inside and provides easy access for feeding the ants. Increase the ant farm size by linking multiple habitats together with the included connector tube.
The giant ant farm size is 2.5 x 13 x 9,25 inches. Uncle Milton’s Ant Watchers guide teaches kids about ants and how to take care of their harvester ants. Uncle Milton’s Giant Ant Farm kit includes the giant ant farm habitat, two bags of tunneling sand, a tunnel starter tool, an Antway connector tube, and the Ant Watchers guide. Purchase a kit or tube of live ants separately and a magnifying glass if needed.
2. Live Blue Gel Ant Habitat With Live Ants
The Live Blue Gel Ant Habitat from the Nature Gift Store comes with a tube of live ants – 25 in all – so your child can have their ant farm up and running almost immediately. The blue gel inside the ant farm isn’t just for looks. This gel ant farm is packed with nutrients to promote a healthy ant colony, so no extra food or water is required.
The ant habitat is curved to maximize the ant viewing area, and a magnifying glass is provided, so kids can observe how the ants live and work in great detail. Blue gel ant farms are really neat. Within 24 hours, your ants will be well on the way to building a thriving colony!
3. Ant Habitat with LED Light from Evviva Sciences
The Ant Habitat with LED light from Evviva Sciences is a truly awesome ant habitat. The cool LED lights make the ant farm look super amazing, especially at night. The LED light also encourages the ants to be extra productive, so your colony’s tunnels will be deeper and more intricate than in other ant farms. The set includes a magnifying glass and a stick to help the ants start digging. Live ants are not included, but you can order some healthy and active harvester ants from the same place. A free educational e-book on ants is also included with this ant colony.
4. Educational Insights GeoSafari Ant Factory
If your child is an aspiring entomologist, he or she will love the Educational Insights GeoSafari Ant Factory. This is an escape-proof ant habitat that allows children to observe the life cycle of ants in the comfort of their homes. The set includes a water dropper and canal starting tool to get your ant colony off to a flying start. Each ant colony also comes with a helpful 24-page book full of ant colony hints and tips. Live ants are not included, but you will receive a certificate to send off for a tube of live ants via mail.
5. Light-Up Ant Farm Terrarium Kit For Kids
The Light-Up Ant Farm Terrarium Kit for kids is a fun way to introduce your children to the delights of ant colonies. Study the ants’ behavior and watch them dig intricate tunnels through the nutrient-rich gel. The blue gel ant farm comes with LED lights and a power adapter, nutrient gel to sustain the colony, a magnifying glass, a tunnel starting tool, and an educational instruction book to get kids started. Live ants are not included, but there is a live ants coupon included ordering live ants from the supplier. This ant colony makes an excellent STEM educational accessory for a child’s bedroom or study.
6. Uncle Milton Ant Colony
The Uncle Milton Ant Farm is a simple yet effective design to help kids learn more about these fascinating creatures and explore nature. The ant habitat contains clean sand so the ants can build a network of tunnels for the colony. It also includes a water dropper and a year’s supply of ant food containing all the minerals, vitamins, and protein industrious harvester ants need for good health. Live ants are not included, but you can order them from the supplier. The colony is break-resistant and escape-proof, so there is no chance of any ants escaping into your child’s bedroom.
7. New Advanced Ant Nursery Farm Maze
The Ant Nursery Farm with feeding system from NAVAdeal is an escape-proof ant farm containing a high-quality nutrient gel enriched with seaweed. No additional food or water is required, and your ants will have everything they need to build a thriving ant colony. The ant nursery is located beneath the feeding system, so kids can watch ants nurture their young. Live ants are not included, but they can be ordered separately.
Ants are not your average pet, but they can offer hours of fun and fascination. Your kids will love watching their new ant pets build tunnels and nurture their babies. An ant farm is great for adults, too!
More Information About Your Ant Farm Kit
What Do You Need To Build Your Own Ant Farm?
You’ll notice there are a few characteristics that all the best ant farms we recommend share. Those include:
- Clear, flat sides for easy viewing. It also makes it easier for the ants to dig in this environment.
- Empty space near the top of the container so the ants can easily search for food.
- A good, solid seal on the top of the farm, so no ants escape.
What Environment Leads To Thriving Ant Farms?
One reason ant farms are so popular is the ease of care – harvester ants are a hardy bunch! There are some things to keep in mind when selecting a location for your ant habitat.
Harvester ants need a relatively humid habitat. Keep the ant farm out of the direct sun – the nest will die if kept too long in strong sunlight. The average ant farm will do best if kept in a shaded location between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have a sand ant habitat, remember that every time you move it, you risk collapsing the tunnels built by your ants. It’s best to pick a location with a great viewing area and keep the ant farm there. Of course, if you have a gel ant farm, you can pick up and move your ants as you, please.
What Do Ants Like To Eat?
Ants aren’t super picky – if they come across food, they will most likely eat it. This includes other dead insects, tree sap and plant seeds. However, they do have favorites. Ants seem to have a big sweet tooth. They especially enjoy sugar or candy.
Your ant farm should come with instructions on what to feed your ants. Some ant farms come with nutrient-rich gel, while others have a dirt ant habitat. The company that ships you live ants will also give you some advice. Follow their directions and you should be fine.
Most ant farms require you to provide water to your “flock”. Ants tend to dehydrate quickly
Do I Need To Provide My Own Ants?
Most sets do not provide live ants. One exception is the Live Blue Gel Ant Habitat With Live Ants (it’s in the name). It’s sometimes simpler to buy a tube of live ants than hunt for them on your own. If you want to take a hands-on approach, the biologists at ASU have put together a guide on collecting ants to help you in your adventure.
They also provide some awesome ant experiments to perform on your newfound pets.
What Type Of Ants Should I Look To Buy To Start Off?
When you buy your first tube of live ants online, get harvester ants. These worker ants are foragers who build the tunnels and mounds needed for a colony of ants to work properly. There are also bigger ants that will not fit into the gaps in your ant farm.
Can You Tell Me More About Harvester Ants?
Harvesters, like most ant species, live in colonies based on a queen being the supreme leader. The queen never leaves the colony because her task is to breed new ants. The majority of the queen’s offspring are worker ants. These red harvester ants cannot reproduce; instead, they protect the colony, find food, and keep their home in good condition. Average red harvester ants do not have wings, but the queen may bear male and female offspring with wings. Their task is to fly out into the world, find mates, multiply, and create new harvester ant colonies. A harvester colony would usually have approximately 10,000 ants.
Most ant farms do not have queens. The best ant suppliers wouldn’t risk shipping a live ant queen across state lines – if something went wrong during the delivery process a rogue queen could cause havoc with the existing wild ant habitat.
Feature image courtesy of Flickr, derekGavey.