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Ants are often described as the most industrious insectson earth. You can watch their activities by making an AntFarm or Formicarium.

A very simple farm can be made by filling a glass jaror tray with fine soil. Add the ants and make it escape-proof. The ants will then excavate many tunnels.Unfortunately many of the ants activities will be hiddenfrom view. If you follow the instructions below you canmake a formicarium in which you will be able to seewhat goes on in the ant colony.

KEEPING THE ANTS

The farm must be kept covered for most of the timebecause ants are used to living in the dark. Do notleave the farm in sun and do not let the insects get toodry. They will soon use different tunnels for differentpurposes, nurseries, larders, etc.

Once the formicarium is established, you can set up avariety of experiments. With typists correction fluid youcan mark individual ants and work out their activitiesduring the day. You can calculate an ants average lifespan by isolating individual pupae and marking theadults when they hatch out.

Introducing a stem of a rose bush that is thickly coveredwith aphids will allow you to observe a particularlyinteresting pattern of behaviour. Within a short time theants will start to milk the aphids, by stroking them withtheir antennae, to obtain the sweet sticky substance theysecrete. The aphids are, in fact, like a dairy herd to the

ants.

If you keep conditions just right the colony should thriveindefinitely and you might even get a swarm of wingedants waiting to emerge in Summer. These are the malesand new queens ready to fly away, mate and begin newcolonies elsewhere.

EDUCATION

MAKING AN ANTFARM/FORMICARIUM

(2009)...............EDU 003...............

sliding glass lid

end chamber

connecting

tube

stopper

baseboard

plaster cast

light proof cover

tunnels andnest chamber

A FORMICARIUM

OR ANT FARM

The formicarium should havea tightly fitting glass lid andlight proof cover. A flexible tubeconnects with the outside world.You can use the end chamber tointroduce food.

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GATHERING ANTS

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

FEEDING ANTS

Ants eat almost anything fruit, seeds, pieces of meat,dead insects. Place food in a feeding trough or on topof the soil with water provided in a sponge or piece of

cotton wool.

MAKING AN ANTFARM/FORMICARIUM

3. Mould plasticene to form a network oftunnels and chambers.Pour in plaster-of-Paris and leave to set.

1. Screw 4 lengths of wood to the baseboardand position the glass with one edgetouching one of them 2. Add the connecting tube, moulding it in

with plasticene.

4. Turn the plaster mould by removing theplasticine and lengths of wood. The glassshould now act as a sliding cover.Introduce ants, and cover with heavy cloth.