AntWorks
Have you got one of these? Do you want one of these?It's an AntWorks - a sort of ant aquarium and I bought one for my grandson's birthday. It comes without the ants and as I bought it online and had it gift wrapped I couldn't get inside it to get the form to order £4.00s worth of ants so when he opened his present yesterday afternoon the first thought we had was we had to get some ants, and at once.
Hence, the hysterical sight of my daughter and son-in-law in their garden trying to get the ant colonies to come out of hiding so they could catch them and put them in the tank and get them tunnelling. They needed to catch a couple of dozen. Smart little insects aren't they? As soon as they sensed either of them coming near them with the small ant-catching thimble supplied they veered in the opposite direction. I did hear my son-in-law mutter 'Bloomin' mother-in-laws' at some point during the hour long, back breaking, catching process but chose to ignore the comment as I was beginning to itch, imagining the ants swarming over me in retaliation for buying the AntWorks in the first place.
Eventually they caught two dozen ants and placed them safely in the tank and put the lid on. The blue jel is the ants new home. At first the ants formed two groups and we realised they were having a commitee meeting to decide where to tunnel so as not to overlap and collide. They then seemed to send one strong ant on a mission to begin tunnelling and report back. The ant burrowed down for an inch or so then surfaced and scuttled back to tell the others it was a safe environment.
They won't need feeding as the gel holds all the necessary nutrients and all that needs to be done is once a week briefly open the top lid for oxygen to enter, and thats it. Meanwhile, with the aid of the supplied magnifying glass, all the ant activities and way of life can be viewed from birth to death. If a relative dies in a tunnel they carry the body to the surface and wrap it in the gel - like a proper respectful burial - and allow you to remove the dead bodies.
I can't wait to see the ants progress, form communities and do their daily work, get married, have babies, tidy up, have arguments over territories; just like real life really.
posted by Buggles Balham High Road at 10:42 AM
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5 Comments:
It is fantastic watching ants. I bought one of these for my son but we discovered that it was best to replace all the blue get with a mixture of sand and soil. We put some clumps of the gel back in for food and watched them bury it in a chamber. The number of tunnels they made down the sides of the formicary and the way they work together is amazing. The soldiers do a bit of work but they mostly stand guard and supervise. We put some ants eggs in as well and the ants carried them down to the bottom and made a nursery. It is also a good idea to put a few leaves on the top and watch what they do with them.
They do bring the dead up to the top to dispose of them but they cover them up with a few grains of sand and soil.
Each ant seems to take on a different role and although they work together on the tunnels when they bring the bits of earth to the top they do different things with it. Some may choose to bury some newly added food, others build a wall up the side. If you haven't watched ants you don't know what life is about. :-)
Just to add that to our delight they made the nursery at the bottom of the formicary but close to the side. We could see into it and watch the eggs hatch. Adult ants remained on duty in the nursery.
Just to add a bit more - Can you tell I like ants? :-) Eventually we moved the ants into a large aquarium and put it outside so that they could have more space. If you do this though you have to make sure than the rain doesn't get in and drown them. After a while and when the weather was fine we took the lid off and let them move out. They now live at the bottom of the garden. Ants rule the earth not us and I am convinced they have their own Internet. :-)
Phew Kat. I shall direct my daughter to here so she can read all about your experiences as no doubt she'll be left to look after the ants once the novelty has worn off for the boys.
Thanks so much for this.
Never mind Ants, there's nothing I enjoy more than tending my compost heap.
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