How to Make Your Own Ant Farm for Little to No Cost

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One of my fondest memories during my childhood is all the time that I spent observing animals. It was not long before I learned how to catch different bugs in jars without harming them, so that I could observe them. My favorite animal to do this with was the ant. Ant farm's retail anywhere from $10.00 to $30.00 in some stores. Some of those prices do not even include the ants. Here are steps to make your own ant farm with little to no cost.

First, you need to get a clean jar. Mason, jelly and peanut butter jars seem to be the best size for this project. You need to punch 6 or 7 seven small holes into the lid and thoroughly wash and dry the jar and lid. While they are drying, you need to go scope your yard for an ant hill. Try finding an ant walking around and follow it around if you are having trouble finding an ant hill. After you have located your ant hill you need to make sure that they are not fire ants if they are in your area.

Next, get a shovel and dig underneath the ant farm. You first need to locate the queen ant. She will be longer than the other ant and will most likely be surrounded by many ants. Make sure to wear gloves because the other ants will bite to protect their queen. Place the queen and as many other ants as possible into your jar and place the lid on.

Wrap dark paper or cloth around the jar to simulate the feeling of being underground. You will need to place food onto the top of the soil periodically. Bread, honey, and sugar will keep your new ant farm humming along nicely. As time progresses you will be able to see the tunnels that the ants are building, see the ants carrying food, and you may be able to see the nursery. Ants usually designate a dug out "room" as the nursery for the eggs. If you get the queen than it will not be long before your colony will start to outgrow their jar. You can either place them in a larger container or set the jar outside with the lid open and let them roam away.