ANT HOME
Ants give some people the
creepy-crawlies!
Not us!
Go grab your folks, brothers, sisters, aunts (the
two-legged kind), uncles, cousins, pets, friendly neighbors, and teachers (maybe not in
that order--we will let you go get your pets first!).
We want everyone to enjoy this project together.
You older ant-trappers can help the younger ant-trappers in making…
Your very own ant habitat!
You will need:
- One large glass jar with a screw-on lid.
- One smaller jar with a screw-on lid (This small jar
should fit inside the large jar.)
- One old pair of pantyhose (don't laugh…it is
needed for this project!)
- One rubber band
- Lots of sandy soil
- One hammer
- One nail
With the nail and hammer (and probably a little
help), punch some small holes in the large jar lid. The ants will need some air to breathe
in their new home.
Do not put holes in the small jar lid. Just screw
it onto the small jar. Place the small jar (with its lid on) inside the large jar. This
will keep the ants from making their busy tunnels in the center of the large jar (where
you won't be able to watch them).
Using the sandy soil, fill all around in the area
between the large jar and the small jar.
Cut a piece from the pantyhose that is bigger than
the mouth of the large jar. Have your rubber band ready, too. We are about to go catch the
ants.
Ants need some water to drink, so be sure the soil
does not dry out too much. Add a few drops of water to the soil now, then add a few drops
each week after you have your ants settled into their home.
Now, let's go find some of the little critters.
Try to get at least 20 ants, so you have plenty to watch. Look for them along a sidewalk
or around an anthill you have seen on bare ground somewhere. You can use a pencil to catch
them. Put the sharpened pencil down on the ground in front of an ant and let your new
friend crawl onto the pencil point. Hold the pencil over your farm and gently shake it
until the ant falls onto the sandy soil. It helps a lot to have someone with you who can
put the lid on the jar so the ants cannot get away. The lid goes on first, then the piece
of pantyhose gets placed over the lid and fastened with the rubber band. This prevents the
ants from escaping through the air holes.
-- Be sure to get all your ants from the same place. If you get
ants from different groups, they will kill each other.
Now that you have your ants, you need to make sure
they have what they need. Again, you need to add a few drops of water to the sandy soil
every week, but they will also need food. 
They do not eat much, though. One crumb of
cornflake or 2-3 grains of sugar is all they need. If they eat too much, they will get
sick and die. Keep a watch on them, and when they are out of food, drop in another crumb
or two.
Before long, you will see your tiny guests
building tunnels and busily scurrying around. |
